


Propositions and Conniptions

by Dexter1995



Category: Total Drama (Cartoon)
Genre: Conflict, Drama, F/M, Romance, Some Humor
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-09
Updated: 2020-10-17
Packaged: 2021-03-06 06:26:41
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 20
Words: 81,128
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25808809
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dexter1995/pseuds/Dexter1995
Summary: After yet another attempt to pitch her own show falling flat, Heather returns home to her parents' house to find more than what she bargained for... I don't own anything. All rights go to Tom McGillis and Fresh TV. (COMPLETE!) (SEQUEL NOW AVAILABLE!)
Relationships: Alejandro Burromuerto/Heather
Comments: 69
Kudos: 41





	1. Proposition

**Author's Note:**

> You know, I have been writing fanfiction for 10 years and I have been a Total Drama fan since it premiered when I was 12. That and I have been an Aleheather shipper since the start of the ship and add on that Heather is also my absolute favorite Total Drama character overall. What can I say? I love good villains and anti-heroes. Haha. But it wasn't until recently that I had an extremely embarrassing thought in regards to those facts. In all this time, I have yet to make a fanfiction dedicated to Alejandro and Heather! D: Seriously, how I never made an Aleheather fanfiction until now is seriously disgraceful to me personally as a fan. To me, Alejandro and Heather were the best set up and just overall the best pairing in the show. Their love/hate yet perfect chemistry was always so fun to watch and the way they always push each other's buttons always cracked me up. XD Also the fact that Heather is especially such a Tsundere toward Alejandro yet is also so into him that she almost hates herself for it is just 'yes'. Haha. But, I also just love Heather in general as character and really wanted to try my hand at starting out this fanfic by writing this chapter from her perspective and personally… I was happy with what I was able to do! But, I'll leave the final judgement up to you guys. Haha. Anyway, this chapter takes place technically after All Stars, even though most times All Stars is something that doesn't exist in my mind. So, for all intensive purposes as you're reading, just think of things from that perspective of there technically being an All Stars season but things just happened quite differently. Mostly in the respect that it didn't ruin any of the characters/arcs for said characters. Sorry to just throw shade at season 5, but there are many TD fans like myself who I know feel this way too unfortunately and I mean it as no disrespect to anyone who enjoyed All Stars. Basically just keep in perspective that in this fanfiction, Alejandro betrayed Heather by having her voted off and neither of them have properly talked in months since and that they haven't properly dated each other yet. Anyway, without further delay… hope you enjoy! :)

**(Heather's POV)**

I just got back from Toronto and pulled my car back into the driveway of my parents house.

All I kept doing was practically just staring in front of me and wondering what the hell I'm even doing with my life anymore?

I'm almost 21 and I already feel like I've totally wasted my life sometimes.

Ever since I was 16, I've been competing and working so hard to get ahead and make a name for myself… and for what?

I got all the way to the final 3 only to have my head shaved during a total fluke in my first season, I got totally short changed in my second season, and then _actually_ won in my third season only to get absolutely screwed out of what should have been mine!

Then don't even get me started on what happened during the fifth season.

And now... ugh, it's like I can't catch a break.

My agent, who at this point is _so_ fired that it's not even a joke anymore, has done nothing but set me up for failure at pitching for my own talk show.

Well, I should have known. If my own experiences have taught me anything, it's that if you want something done right then you have to do it yourself.

I just kept sitting there and staring ahead of me at the garage.

Again, what am I doing with my life? I'm even still living with my parents for no reason other than me not having a steady source of income… yet.

_Ugh… whatever._

I finally got out of my car and got my suitcase out of the trunk and just realized there was a car in the driveway I didn't recognize. It looked like a really expensive Italian sports car.

I just shrugged, thinking it was just another one of my dad's fellow marketing executive _buddies_ that he works with on the board at his company.

Sometimes dad will invite them or sometimes clients over for lunch or dinner as a form of schmoozing to get people on his side. Sure, I think both of my parents are spineless, placid, and useless in most ways, but I do have to _at least_ give them credit where it's due in the regard of knowing how to make connections and money in the world of business.

I made my way into the house, taking off my sunglasses as I shut the door behind me.

Right as I was about to call out and say I was back, I heard laughing in the kitchen.

_Guess I was right about the company._

I was about to head up to my room when I stopped dead in my tracks, hearing _something_. A familiar voice that struck a harsh cord.

I set my suitcase at the foot of the stairs and kept myself guarded and silent as I slowly walked down the hall toward the kitchen. Right when I got to the corner, I stopped and subtly looked around the wall into the kitchen.

My eyes went wide and my expression dropped before I felt my stomach start to turn as I felt myself get consumed with a conflicted and shocked form of rage at what, or who, I saw.

_Alejandro._

He was sitting on a stool at the breakfast bar with my parents, talking and laughing while sipping on glasses of wine together.

_What… the hell… is HE doing here?!_

Seriously! How did he even know where I lived?! My fists clenched and my jaw felt like it was clenching so hard that I thought I was going to shatter all my teeth.

Finally I managed to collect myself enough as I walked into the room and it was like Alejandro had some annoying _sixth sense_ since he was the first to acknowledge my existence.

Immediately turning on that annoyingly frustrating and gorgeous smile and charm that just makes me want to punch him in his stupid perfect face. He stood up and started, "Oh, buenas tardes, _mi ángel_. You're home."

" _Yeah_ , brilliant observation, _captain obvious._ What am I? Your wife? How about instead telling me what _you_ are doing here?" I retorted, still completely frustrated and infuriated by what the _hell_ he was even doing in my parents' house?!

Alejandro didn't even have time to answer as my mom stepped in and replied, "Oh it's nothing, hun. Alejandro came by yesterday asking if you were home and also wanted to introduce himself. So, I invited him in."

"Which I appreciate, Mrs. Wilson. And I would like to thank you both for being so gracious with inviting me into your home and allowing me to stay the night while I waited for Heather's return. I just hope I wasn't intruding as an unexpected guest. Speaking of which, it's easy for me to see where Heather got her radiant beauty from." He responded, smiling at my mom and then giving her a short kiss on the hand, making my mom become _absolute_ putty in his hands.

_Oh, he is so full of..._

My dad then walked up smiling as he put a hand on Alejandro's shoulder and added, "Not at all! It's been a pleasure having you, Alejandro. Your boyfriend can really play a good game of golf. He came out with me to my tee time yesterday at the country club and we had an excellent time."

As much as I wanted to just have an absolute conniption and explode at my dad for referring to Alejandro as ' _my boyfriend'_ , I somehow held back and bit my tongue by some miracle.

"Of course, Mr. Wilson. Though you are much too kind. I haven't golfed in a bit so I personally thought my game was rather rusty yesterday. But, I appreciate the compliment, as well as the invitation." Alejandro responded politely, nodding his head respectfully to my dad.

_Ugh, he's so… UGH!_

I could just feel everything in my body continue to clench in frustration and rage.

Meanwhile, Alejandro had his eyes on me again as he continued to grin at me.

As much as I felt the compulsion to just grab his shirt and start shaking and questioning him for what he was playing at right now… and possibly smack him, I decided to keep myself calm. I also decided to beat him at his own game as I walked up to him and smiled as I didn't take my eyes off him for a second, interlocking my arm with his.

"Well, since he came _all this way_ , I hope you don't mind if I take Alejandro outside and speak to him _privately_?" My dad just smiled like an idiot and responded, "Absolutely _Heather-feather_. The patio is all yours."

I immediately felt a twinge at dad calling me that in front of Alejandro, but I just brushed it off as I led him with me out back to the patio area of the backyard. I continued to lead him with me, giving him a false sense of security by continuing to smile at him as we kept walking together.

Eventually we got to this shaded area on the patio as he remarked, "So, should I include your father's pet name ' _Heather-feather'_ into my line up of terms of endearment for you? I must say, I quite like it."

He let out an amused yet slight laugh at the end that finally caused me to just snap.

I retracted my arm from his before grabbing the collar of his shirt with both my hands and gave him the most pissed off death glare I could muster as I spat, "Look, what the hell are you doing here?!"

"Exactly what your mother and I told you, Heather. I came to see you. But, when they told me you weren't going to be home until the following day, I decided to make _constructive use of my time_ and spend time with your parents while I waited for you. And I'd say it was rather a success. Between having coffee and conversing with your mother and going golfing with your father, they both took quite a liking to me rather quickly. They even took me out to quite an excellent restaurant last night where I had possibly the best steak I've ever tasted before offering for me to stay for the night. Also, I must admit that your bed is _quite_ comfortable." He responded so calm yet smug that I wanted to just start strangling him.

I _especially_ wanted to start strangling him since he just admitted to sleeping in MY bed in MY room!

"You slept in my bed?..." I strained out through my teeth, only making him grin at me.

"I did. Your parents showed me to a guest room, but when I found your room I decided to take the opportunity to _acquaint myself_ with your usual surroundings. Though I had to admit… it would have been even _better_ if I had the pleasure of your company with me." He admitted with a sly grin as my self-control went completely out the window.

At that moment I went on the impulse to just smack him until he caught my hand midway and responded evenly, "Now Heather, there's no need for this trivial squabbling. You haven't even heard my reason for wanting to see you?"

I narrowed my eyes at him as my rage continued to go at a rolling boil as I spouted, "Look you arrogant jerk! So far since yesterday you've managed to schmooze your way into my parents' house, played into my parents' favor, slept in my bed… and you'd think I'd _actually_ want to listen to ANYTHING you'd have to say?! Well, you can go…"

"Heather, please… all I'm asking is that you hear me out. I came all the way here from Ottawa just to talk to you about a little _proposition_ of sorts I came up with. A proposition that has a possible _caveat_ that could involve me leaving you alone." He said, his eyes staring right into mine and making me feel lost for a moment until I finally managed to get a grip.

I stopped and gave him a slightly skeptical gaze, still not letting my guard down for anything. Though I did finally let go of his shirt and take a step back as I crossed my arms.

"I'm listening." I responded, quirking up an eyebrow in intrigue.

_Alejandro possibly offering to leave me alone? Ha! Yeah, right? This should be good…_

He put his arms behind his back and straightened up before he started, "Heather, as I have said, the reason why I came to see you was to give you a proposition. And I am determined to tell you about it and for you to give me an answer."

"Well, for someone that wants an answer, you sure seem to be stringing it out." I retorted.

He rolled his eyes at me for a second and looked put out before continuing, " _Anyway…_ my proposition isn't anything complicated. But, I was determined to do this properly and in person."

My eyes went wide as he walked over to me and grabbed one of my hands in both of his as I proceeded to fight off a blush with every fiber of my being.

_C'mon Heather, don't give in. You've been holding your ground with him this long, you can dig in your heels just a little bit longer._

That was easier said than done though as he even took a step closer to me and explained, his tone and manner of speaking was so smooth to a point of perfection, "Heather, I would like to formally ask you to go out on a date with me and I really hope you give me the answer I want to hear."

His gorgeous green eyes kept practically baring into me and made it so hard for me to hold myself together.

_Dammit Heather, get a grip already?!_

Once I finally had my bearings together, I responded, "Are you serious? You came all the way here _just_ to ask me out on a date? Well, if that's the case, then you can _still_ just go…" I tried to retract my hand from him, but he maintained his hold and caused me to get cut off as a result.

It wasn't forceful but it was _very_ firm and determined as he continued in a tone that matched, "Heather, you haven't even heard my terms yet. When you accept to go out with me on a date, you have two options. Option one, and to me the most likely, is you and I go out and have a great time together. Thereby you will then go out with me again and again. Eventually leading to _more_ than just us going on _dates_."

I quirked up an eyebrow, trying to maintain hold on myself, "Okay _Narcissus,_ what about if I _don't_ have a good time?"

"Well… then I leave you alone and swear to never see or speak to you again... But, that won't happen." He answered, sounding smooth yet direct as he kept maintaining eye contact with me.

It felt like my throat was swollen shut as I was still trying to get a hold of myself.

_Don't do it, Heather… the moment you weaken with him is the moment he wins._

I tried to clear my throat as I responded, "And what if I refuse to go on a date with you?"

My eyes involuntarily went wide as he smirked at me and said, very matter of fact, "Then I keep asking you every day until you say 'yes'. I wouldn't be so impolite as to keep encroaching on your parents' hospitality. But if need be I will get a hotel room or even temporary living arrangements nearby if I have to just so I can come by once a day, maybe twice, and keep asking until you eventually crack under the pressure of my persistence. Believe me, Heather. I will do it and I have nothing but time."

It was dead silent except for a lawnmower going by in the distance.

I felt like a battle between my self-control and my _wants_ kept going on in my head as I contemplated everything that was just said.

After a few moments I let out a slight grunt before saying, "Okay! Fine! _One_ date. ONE!"

I saw a satisfied grin spread across his face as he replied, pressing his lips to my hand as he continued to make direct eye contact with me, "I knew you'd say 'yes'."

I ripped my hand away and then pointed my index finger at his face as I narrowed my eyes at him before answering, "I only agreed because I knew you'd hold to your promise of persistently annoying me if I didn't."

"If you say so… we'll go out at 6. Wear something nice yet comfortable. Even though I think you look _muy_ hermosa in almost anything." He responded as he reached out to try to touch my cheek and I promptly shoved it away as I replied, "Fine. Whatever. I'll humor you."

I was about to turn to head back inside as I heard, "Oh and Heather?"

I turned my attention back to him just to see him grinning at me like he usually does before he admitted, "I didn't _actually_ sleep in your bed or even go into your room. I just wanted to see your reaction if I told you that I did."

I felt an immediate twinge and practically slapped him full on across the face on reflex, taking him off guard for a second.

"Jerk." I said through my teeth as I turned to head back to the house, smirking to myself once I turned around and thinking he was going to start flipping out over me smacking him in the face.

Well, until I heard him just start laughing and filling me with absolute annoyed rage as a result.

_Okay Heather, it's just one date. All you have to do is power through it and then you never have to deal with him again…_


	2. Wills, part 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So… WOW! Thank you all so much! I just posted chapter 1 of this fanfic last night and I was overwhelmed with positive feedback so quickly by the time I checked my profiles this morning! Seriously, you guys are amazing! Thank you again! I know I responded with this in some PM's to you guys, but it was seriously SO fun to put myself in my favorite TD character's (Heather's) head and just to show her getting flustered when she interacted with Alejandro smooth talking and playing around with her like he usually does, even if it got him a slap in the face at the hand of our favorite queen bee. Haha. XD So, I actually ended up getting the day off work today, so I decided to do some writing and ended up getting on quite a roll! So, here's the start of Alejandro and Heather's date as we pick right back up with Heather's POV later that same day. Just thank you all again and hope you enjoy it! :)

**(Heather's POV)**

I was getting my clutch together until I looked at myself in the full length mirror in my room.

I kept looking at myself until I let out what I could only describe as a sigh mixed with a grunt and scrunched my eyes shut in frustration before looking at myself in the mirror again and saying to myself, "Well, this seals it. I'm officially out of my mind."

Seriously, what am I even thinking? I actually _agreed_ to go on a date… and with Alejandro?!

_Oh, yeah, I'm definitely cracked._

The only thing more insane to me than _actually_ agreeing to go out with him in the first place is how much time I actually put into getting ready for this stupid date with _Don Juan Doofus_.

Well, he told me to wear something 'nice yet comfortable' and I followed his hints, but I was throwing in my own _curveballs_ at him tonight.

He wanted to go out with me? _Fine._

Then he better prepare to have his smug hopes crushed just like every other loser who asked me out in high school that I either flat out rejected or just used them for their purpose as a date for a dance that I was on a court of some kind for before tossing them aside.

And _oh,_ was I going to make him pay the price of asking me out tonight and playing around with me earlier.

That cocky Spanish jerk thinks he can just get me totally swooning over him like every other girl that remotely looks in his direction tonight?

_Ha! As if._

Not if I turn the tables and get him completely swooning over me first...

And as I honestly kept looking over my _choices_ for what I decided to wear, so far _so good_.

I decided to go for a strategy of _simple but effective_. My make up was light but as concise as I could possibly get it without going over the top and my dress was just as striking, but also just as subtle.

It was a black dress I dug out of my closet. Again simple, but for tonight was all I needed.

It was sleeveless, went down a little below mid-thigh, and low cut enough to be subtle but still get his attention _and_ still leave enough to the imagination. Then to top it off, it even flared out ever so slightly to allow for movement with whatever idiotic plan he had for us tonight.

But everything fits all the criteria for me to get him completely right where I want him.

Add on having my hair pulled back slightly with a silver necklace on that I haven't worn since prom… he is _so_ going down.

Looking good while completely crushing someone and grinding them into the dirt is my specialty.

He thinks he knows me, but I wanted to show Alejandro and have him see first hand what happens when you underestimate me in a situation like this, or ever as he should already know.

I smirked at myself in the mirror one last time as I grabbed my heels and my clutch before I made my way downstairs.

"Hey sis, what idiot are you going out with this time? Or are you finally going to get over yourself and just hook up with _el muchacho lame-o_ already?" I whipped my head over and saw the last person I wanted to talk to right now, aside from Alejandro.

_Damien._

I gave my little brother a hard glare as I spat back, "None of your business, you little twerp."

He just smirked at me and leaned in his bedroom doorway as he quirked up an eyebrow and remarked, making my blood boil, "You _are_ going out with him, aren't you? That's hysterical. But, you know what? He's cool in my book. From what I was seeing out the window earlier, your boyfriend can almost piss you off better than I can. _Almost..._ "

I gave him a narrowed glare as he just laughed until I held up one of my pumps in front of me as I threatened, "First, Alejandro is _not_ my boyfriend. Second, if _someone_ doesn't relent right now, then this shoe is _somehow_ going to get turned sideways and get shoved up your…"

"Ha! You totally are going out with him. Good luck finding a volcano to shove him off this time if you want to try to get rid of him again. You know, since that was the only way you were able to get him away from you last time." He commented and started cracking up again before going into his room shutting the door.

I pursed my lips in frustration and anger before grunting and deciding to just get over it and get myself back on task.

_It doesn't matter if that little twerp is 8 or 18… ugh, he's still the bane of my existence._

Well, at least the bane of my existence next to Alejandro...

I sat on the bottom of the steps and strapped my heels on before looking at myself again in a nearby hall mirror and smirked.

 _Oh yeah… I_ SO _got this_.

I heard knocking on the door almost on cue as I glanced at the clock.

_6 on the dot._

Of course he has to be annoyingly on time and punctual, doesn't he? Alejandro left earlier and said he was going to _get ready elsewhere._

Not that it even matters?

I'm still going to completely crush him.

I straightened up one last time before opening the door and was going to get myself in position with a smirk on my face to completely grab his attention _._

_This is going to be great, I bet he's going to… dammit._

I mean, okay, from a _woman's perspective_ Alejandro always looks hot for some frustratingly annoying reason. But he's also a total jerk that drives me to the brink of insanity and was only proving that right now, but for a _completely_ different reason.

He had his hair pulled back in a low ponytail and was dressed in a jet black suit with a red dress shirt that both looked pressed to perfection. His suit jacket was buttoned up all the way but his dress shirt had the top few buttons undone like he usually did to show off the long horn necklace he always wears.

Either way, he looked even hotter than usual... Not that I would admit that out loud to him or anyone _ever!_

It was also at this point that I realized I already made a critical and idiotic mistake since I was literally checking him out with him standing _right_ in front me, making that stupid smug grin on his face get bigger.

_Crap…_

I immediately tried to recover as I said pointedly, "About time you showed up."

"And buenas noches to you too, _mi reina_. I must say, you look even more stunning than usual. And that's saying something..." He commented, making me smirk in satisfaction until I was caught off guard when he grabbed my hand and practically twirled me around once completely unprompted before pulling me against him.

I was in shock for a moment as I stared at him wide eyed as he brushed a strand of my hair behind my ear.

"Nice to see you followed my advice on the _attire_. Considering _this_ is perfect for what I have in store for us tonight." He said, still holding me against him with that smug smile still on his face as he made direct eye contact with me for the umpteenth time today.

I was so close to him that I could smell his cologne that was just subtle enough to not be overbearing.

_Ugh, he smells good._

In an instant I snapped myself out of it and wriggled out of his grasp before putting a little distance between us as I crossed my arms and retorted, "So, are we just going to stand here all night or are we actually going to go somewhere?"

"Oh we are most _definitely_ going somewhere. If you'll allow me?" He responded smoothly and offered his arm out to me.

I just continued to cross my arms and narrow my eyes at him, but all he did was give me a playful smirk before following up in a matching tone, "Come now, Heather. If we're on a date together tonight, then the least you can do is _play the part_?"

I rolled my eyes and linked my arm with his before responding as annoyed as I could, " _Fine…_ but just because this is the _only_ date you're going to get out of me."

"So you keep saying, but… we'll see about that." He said, almost making it sound like the most flirtatious threat I've ever heard.

But, _yeah right_?

He's completely delusional if he thinks he's going to go out with me again after this.

We walked to the same sports car I saw earlier as he lead me around to the passenger side and got that stupid full of himself grin on his face as he started, "Allow me to be of assistance."

He proceeded to open the door for me and helped me in.

I would have made a comment right there if he didn't shut the door. But, I took the opportunity to use the tinted windows to my advantage on the car to let my guard drop for a second as I watched him walk around to the driver's side.

_Ugh, why does he always have to be so... perfect?_

He was about to open the driver's side door as I crossed my arms and folded my legs before I pointed out while he was getting himself situated, "By the way, just to be clear, I don't require any _assistance,_ especially _not_ from you."

"Oh Heather, I'm _very_ well aware of you being able to _handle yourself_. However, I do gestures like that with you for my own benefit." He responded, making me quirk up an eyebrow in total confusion as I shot back, "And what _exactly_ do you get out of it, _casa-nitwit?"_

All he did was smirk at me before he commented, "Well, that blush I saw on your face for a moment when I helped you into the car for one."

My eyes went wide for a moment as I saw him continue to grin at me before I rolled my eyes and regained my composure before scoffing and saying, "Whatever…"

_Damn, just… ugh, damn him._

Finally he got the car going and started driving.

_Good, the sooner we get this over with the better._

It was silent in the car except for the slight roaring of the engine on the outside of the car. Which would've been fine if I didn't feel like my stomach was _turning_ a little since I could feel him just _staring_ at me and making my muscles tense up on reflex.

I finally gave him a look as I spat, "Would you mind just keeping your _all seeing eyes_ on the road and NOT on me while you're driving? I'd prefer to be alive by the end of this if you don't mind?"

All he did was give me a glance out of the corner of his eye and smirk to himself before looking back at the road and replying, his tone laced with flirtation, "My apologies. But can you blame me for my distraction? It's not often I see you looking this _alluring_ , particularly since this was the first time I've seen you dressed in this sort of way. You must admit it's quite unfair to expect me to completely deter myself from such a beautiful _distraction_."

I could feel another blush coming on but I immediately managed to stomp it down as I snapped, fighting everything I was feeling stir up in me, "Just… keep your eyes on the road already."

"As you wish." He responded with a slight smirk as he kept his eyes on the road.

I took the opportunity to slowly turn my head away for a second as I bit my lip a little, trying to keep myself under control.

_Focus Heather! Get a grip! The more you give in to his stupid flirting, the more you give in to him and let him win._

On the other hand, at least that only confirmed that I'm getting to him too just like I wanted... you know, for when I completely reject him later.

I tried keep my eyes in front of me as well until we seemed to be driving toward the outermost part of the city limits but still staying in the suburbs.

He eventually parked the car as he said, "Well Heather, shall we get on with our evening?"

"Well, guess I can at least agree with the 'getting on with it' part." I responded, trying to make sure I wasn't giving him any ability to bait me into anything.

He smirked and came around to offer me a hand out of the car, which I promptly shoved away and got out of the car myself.

I was about to start walking until I heard him subtly clear his throat.

Right when I looked over, I was _treated_ to see him offering me his arm again with a quirked up eyebrow and expectant smirk directed at me.

I rolled my eyes and said, knowing I sounded about as annoyed and put out with him as I could get as I gave in and linked my arm with his, "Is this seriously _that_ necessary? Or are you just _that_ clingy that we can't just walk normally."

"You said it earlier, Heather. Just _humor me_ this evening. Besides, I doubt you are as opposed to this as you are letting on." He commented as I immediately came back with, "And what makes you say that?"

Alejandro looked down almost coyly for a moment with a slight smile and shrug before saying, "Just a hunch… also the fact I merely just offered for you to link your arm with mine and yet you seemed to take the liberty of going to the next step."

I looked down in total confusion at what he could have _possibly_ been teasing me with until my eyes went wide when I realized what he was talking about.

My left arm was linked with his right, but my right hand was resting mindlessly on his bicep of the same arm. Then to top it off I felt like having an aneurysm when I looked up and saw him smirking smugly and knowingly down at me. I quickly retracted my hand away and just looked straight ahead as we kept walking.

_Ugh… I seriously hate him._

We kept walking until I finally decided to ask, "So what incredibly overdone and cliché plan do you have lined up that makes you so confident in this even going remotely in your favor? Because I fail to see anything around here that we can…"

We stopped abruptly, causing me to look at him again.

He just looked at me with a smirk before he pointed to something.

After giving him a part annoyed-part confused look, I looked to where he was pointing across the street. Right across the street from us was this night club, it was lit up with Neon signs written in a mix of Spanish and English.

There was also the apparent sound of Latin music coming from the inside as my eyes kept scanning over the people lined up outside the club entrance.

I paused and froze up for a second as I heard Alejandro finally state the obvious, " _We,_ chica, are going to be dancing."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Looks like Alejandro was more prepared than he led on for this date… and also seems prepared to make an effort to show off like the arrogant peacock of a man we all know and love. Particularly if he knows it will get Heather's attention. Haha. XD But, the question remains, what will Heather think of this? How will she take Alejandro's plan to impress her? Will she take it in stride, or will she finally break down and give in? All will be revealed in the next chapter, or the one after… I have a story outline but once I start typing I have no idea how long each chapter is going to be. So depending this date may get split up into 2 or 3 total parts. Either way I appreciate all of you taking the time to read and I'd love to hear some constructive feedback on what you all thought! I also hope you like my addition of Heather's little brother Damien from her TDI profile that I added in to tease his older sister. Anyway, I am already working on the next chapter so be on the lookout for updates. :D Thanks again so much to all of you and hope you all are well!
> 
> Stay Classy as always!
> 
> Dexter1995


	3. Wills, part 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Again… thanks everyone! I'm so glad to hear you guys are enjoying the story so far. Now, you have no idea how much fun I had writing this particular chapter, especially once I got to writing the very end of it. Not going to give anything away, but I think I got Heather and Alejandro's relationship and chemistry nailed in this one. But again, I'll leave the final judgement up to you guys! Haha. This chapter is a big longer so I hope you're ready to sit back and chill for a bit with some Aleheather material. Enjoy!

**(Heather's POV)**

I kept looking across the street for another moment before turning back at him.

"You seriously expect me to do this?" I remarked and quirked up an eyebrow at him as he kept giving me a sly smirk while saying, "What? Do you not like dancing in this sense? Or is it just that you think you can't keep up with me as a partner? Don't worry, I'll be sure to show you enough when we're out on the floor and slow down if you feel you can't keep up."

As much as I wanted to completely ream him a new one, or just punch him, for completely back handing me over something he has _no idea_ about when it comes to me, but I held back.

_Later Heather… later._

_This is your opportunity to have this totally blow up in his stupid, smug, and annoyingly perfect face. Just wait…_

I gave him a look and commented, "No, it's that you expect _me_ to stand in that line with _you_ just to dance, you insufferable jerk."

All he did was smirk as he said, "Oh Heather, _we_ aren't going to be waiting in line. Part of the _many_ benefits you'll realize of being with a Burromuerto."

I was about to make a snide comment until he immediately just started leading us across the street and walked us right up to this bouncer who was standing around the corner from the line and looked like he was going to bust out of the seemingly ill-fitting suit he was in.

Alejandro let go of me and took a couple steps toward him as he started, "Disculpe, señor…" He then got a little closer and kept speaking quietly until my eye caught something as I saw him slip two $50 bills out of his sleeve before subtly passing it off to the bouncer in a hand shake.

 _Okay, Alejandro using bribery to get us in? Yeah, 'shocker'. But, did he seriously think that_ this _was going to work?_

I was about to roll my eyes when the bouncer gave Alejandro a nod and unhooked the velvet rope before motioning for us to come in.

_Oh you have got to be…_

"Let's go, chica." Alejandro cut in, totally interrupting my thoughts as he grabbed one of my hands and started pulling me along with him until we walked into the club.

The more we walked in, the more I had my expectations changed about this place. The outside made this place look like a typical dirty nightclub, but the inside was actually… _nice._ It was still a night club/lounge type set up with music blaring. But the light fixtures and architecture made this place look like it was straight out of the 1920's. Either way, and as much as I hate even admitting it internally… I was actually impressed, _kind of_.

"This was built in 1925 as a jazz club with a dance floor and as you can see still is in a way until it changed _music styles_. This place came highly recommended and also happened to exclusively cater to Latin music and dance. So I figured tonight we could do some dancing and enjoy some tapas. Now, let's go drop things off at the coat check so we can lighten the load and do this properly." He explained as I decided that I didn't want to give him fodder to use against me, so I managed to bite my tongue and stay silent as I played along.

 _Especially_ since I had a plan going.

Much to my annoyance Alejandro insistently took my clutch and gave it to the coat check with his jacket for some idiotic and annoying reason before leading us over to the dance floor.

The song that was already going sounded like it was almost over as he leaned over to me and said, "Heather, relax... After all, the whole purpose of us going out was to have fun together and I am determined to follow through on my promise to ensure you have a good time. Just stay close and if need be ask me to slow down on the dance floor if you feel like you need it."

_Oh that arrogant… hmph, we'll just see who can't keep up with who in the end. Just you wait, Alejandro…_

The song finally ended and Alejandro grabbed one of my hands again and immediately started leading me out on the dance floor as another song started.

The tempo was _very_ familiar and I saw Alejandro break out in a satisfied grin as he said, confirming my hunch, "Ah, salsa... how perfect! And honestly my favorite music as well as style of dance. One of them at least."

We both got in first position as he kept my right hand in his left and put his right hand confidently yet lightly between my shoulder blades as I begrudgingly put my left hand on his shoulder, making him grin at me and also only confirming my thought of another reason why he took me out dancing.

Obviously, an excuse for him to put his hands on me and also give me no choice in doing the same to him.

_Jerk…_

"Just follow my lead. You'll pick it up in no time with a little practice and from my expertise." He said, his voice and demeanor just oozing with pompous arrogance.

And was I about to put him in his place, even if it meant letting him lead me on something.

"We'll see about that…" I replied ominously with a very slight smirk, trying to get my plan off to a good start and it worked as Alejandro just gave me a quirked up eyebrow in slight confusion and intrigue as I tried so hard to suppress a satisfied smile.

 _Oh yeah… I think I'm_ definitely _going to enjoy this._

We waited until the count with the song came back around as he pushed against my hand slightly to let me know which direction he was going. He went forward in a three count as I did the same backward.

We kept the rhythm going in that same sequence of steps as I noticed him giving me a suspicious, unsure, and borderline surprised look with a hint of confusion as he picked up the pace of his steps only for me to immediately match him. It was so hard for me to keep a straight face as I watched his whole demeanor progressively get more confused, frustrated, and slightly shocked that I was keeping in step almost flawlessly with him.

He tried throwing several other combinations at me and then saw him narrow his eyes slightly at me in near curiosity as he took my hand from his shoulder in his other hand before putting both our sets of joined hands crossed over each other in front of us before immediately turning me in a hammer lock flip.

I think he was just as surprised when I reciprocated the same move right back at him in sequence before we went back to an 'on 1 timing' sequence together as I saw the lower half of his face become completely non-expressive but his eyes looked like they were going to fall out of his head.

I couldn't fight it anymore as I smirked at him in complete satisfaction at the fact that I completely one upped him.

Finally he inquired, still looking surprised, "You know salsa?"

I decided to have fun with it as I started, " _Please_ , a lady doesn't reveal all her secrets... Sure you're not having regrets about bringing me out here?"

I held a satisfied smirk, thinking I completely bested him at his own game until my expression dropped off slightly as he grinned back, looking _impressed_ , as he replied, "No regrets at all. I'm only ashamed at the thought that we haven't properly danced like this sooner, because if you don't mind me saying… you're as excellent a partner as you are graceful, _mi ángel._ "

Quickly I regained control of myself before I let the situation get the best of me.

Even though I had to admit it to myself… he was also the best dance partner I had, _without question_.

As much as I hate admitting _Señor Perfecto_ is good at anything ever, since he always has to be _annoyingly_ perfect at almost everything, but I had to admit… Alejandro was an _excellent_ dancer.

His movements, his steps, his hold… everything he did looked so natural and almost flawless.

Sure my only other _point of reference_ for real dancing with a partner was my Junior League dance partner, Shane Watson. He wasn't the _absolute_ worst, despite how much he annoyed me and disgusted me with the amount of cheap men's body spray he constantly wore once we got to high school and made me want to gag.

But compared to Alejandro he was about as coordinated as a baby deer trying to walk for the first time.

Again, I despise even admitting it to myself, but Alejandro… _he was_ _good_.

Quickly I scoffed and rolled my eyes before responding, " _Flattery_ isn't going to get you anywhere with me."

He just grinned back before leaning closer until his lips were next to my left ear before saying, _completely_ teasing me, "So you always insist…"

I tried to brush it off and took advantage of a new song starting up to end the conversation.

We kept going for a couple more songs until he led me off the floor to a table. I was about to reach for the chair myself until his hands beat me to it and pulled it out before motioning for me to sit with a smile on his face.

_Oh… he's good._

But, he'll have to try harder than that though to impress me… but like it even matters since I was still determined to stick to my plan.

I don't care what he says or does or how much fun I'm having with him right now...

_Ugh, stop it! Get a hold of yourself!_

He sat across from me and immediately took over when a server approached the table and immediately started speaking fluent Spanish as he ordered, it was also at that moment that I realized how much I couldn't stand him since in that _conversation_ I picked up on him saying something along the lines of 'he would cover the bill since I didn't have my wallet on me'.

Look, I may not be fluent in Spanish, but I took Spanish in school for 4 years.

I may not be a fluent speaker, but have me listen to a conversation or read something in Spanish and I can pick it up _pretty_ decently.

Which was why I was trying so hard not to burn a hole through his big fat head since I want to keep that knowledge to myself. Mainly because I _know_ he sometimes speaks Spanish around me when he doesn't want me to know what he's talking about… or because he just likes to show off or try to flirt with me using a bunch of stupid Spanish _pet names._

Not that they're _all_ awful…

_Ugh, dammit! Why do I keep doing that?!_

"I hope you don't mind, but I am taking the opportunity to pay." He finally said, actually talking to me again. I didn't want to completely let on what I heard him say to the server just now.

So I just gave him a look as I retorted, "As if you would have given me the choice otherwise… particularly since _someone_ handed my clutch over to be locked up at a coat check?"

Alejandro just gave me smirk, trying to be coy, as he responded, "I did, didn't I? That's quite a shame. Well, even if you still _did_ have it, I would still insist on paying. After all, the date was issued at my invitation so therefore I should pay anyway. The fact that you also don't have your wallet is just a circumstantial sign that I should pay."

I just gave him a glare, knowing a million silent insults were flying out of my eyes at him right now.

But, he brushed it off as he grinned again before saying, "So, where did you learn to dance?"

I scoffed slightly and sat back a little before saying, "Wouldn't you like to know?..." "Indeed I would. Did you take classes?" He immediately cut in, leaning toward me a little from his side of the table with an intrigued look on his face.

After debating for a second I smirked a little to myself before saying, "Try over 13 years of ballet and then add on doing Junior League at my parents' country club. Junior League was where I _really_ learned dancing in this sense. Waltz, tango, cha-cha, mambo, pasodoble, rumba… you name it, I probably know it. That and our instructor was Cuban so she also taught us salsa dancing quite a bit. But, after ballet, learning how to dance in any other style is a piece of cake by comparison."

"Tango, you say? _Interesting_ … I should have guessed since I knew you used to do ballet and from what I saw. But, I never knew you actually had a proper background in this regard. I must admit, Heather… you never fail to surprise me." He said, clearly trying to flirt with me to get in my favor, which to his credit was kind of working right now since for once I could actually see him looking genuinely interested in what I just said.

Again, not that I'd tell him that. I decided to take the opportunity to try and regain my self-control before I remarked, "And let me guess? You're going to tell me you were born dancing perfectly out of the womb or something completely ridiculous?"

He just let out an amused laugh before sitting back for a moment until he leaned toward me again before explaining, "Well, you technically aren't wrong… at least to an extent. Dancing is very important in my family though. And especially if it wasn't for dancing, my parents would have probably never met. As you know my family and I are originally from Spain and before my parents were married they actually met at a dance class in their late teens after being partnered up by random chance, and they've been together ever since. My parents actually used to dance together competitively until my mother and father decided to step down to start a family and their professional careers. To this day though, my parents still go out dancing together at least twice a month. Dance was always heavily instilled in my brothers and I since mother enrolled us in classes to learn at a young age, much like yourself. So, you could say it runs in my blood."

I rolled my eyes and started, "Well that's more than I can say about my parents. My mom's not bad, but my dad is an absolute painful embarrassment on the dance floor. I thought I wanted someone to just end me when he was _attempting_ to keep up with my mom in a stroll line at my cousin's wedding last January. "

"Ah, I see… well, hopefully you at least had a good glass of wine to tide you over?" He remarked playfully, making me smirk as I said, "Well, it wasn't a complete _cure_ , but it did at least help provide a distraction." We both started laughing until my eyes went wide and I abruptly stopped in shock.

 _Did Alejandro and I_ actually _just have a normal conversation? And laughed together about it?_

I shook my head and straightened up as I tried to recollect myself.

"Also, I must confess, I'd be lying if I said that wasn't part of the reason why I wanted to take you out dancing, just to kind of give you a taste of my background… that and the added bonus and pleasure of being able to hold you close was just too _tempting_ to resist." He admitted, giving me a subtle wink as I glared at him yet also feeling slightly better about returning to something _familiar_ between us.

And also… ugh, I totally knew he took me dancing just to be able to have an excuse to put his hands on me.

I rolled my eyes and scoffed at him as I responded, "Ugh, _gross_ …"

I got even more angry and flustered when he just gave me a smirk and leaned forward before responding, "This reminds of something I roughly said to you before. You may _say_ you detest what I say to you Heather, but _your eyes say something else…_ "

I opened my mouth to respond until I felt every muscle in my body lock up when I felt what I knew was his foot slowly and painstakingly teasingly drifting along the back of my right calf.

He just kept looking at me as he simultaneously took a sip from his glass of water on the table.

It felt like I was waging war against everything I was feeling right now as I tried so hard to keep a straight expression and NOT show him he was getting to me.

I was holding my own pretty well until he got down to my heel before drifting his foot painfully slow back up my calf again as I felt a blush slowly start to take over my face no matter how hard I tried to fight it, seeing him just continue to lock eyes with me as a grin crept up on his face.

_Crap…_

_**3 hours later** _

_Just keep looking in front of you, Heather. Don't acknowledge it. Just keep looking ahead._

_Just… ugh, what the hell is he doing?!_

Ever since that little _stunt_ he pulled on me at the table, it's like he was _messing with me_ the rest of the time we were at the club.

Nothing that _completely_ crossed the line… but that didn't mean it wasn't _annoying_.

Trying to brush his foot against mine while we were still sitting at the table, drifting his hand down my back when we were dancing and then smoothing it right back up to my shoulder blades just before seeming like he was going to go past the small of my back.

Even now, he was driving me home and all he's been doing is moving his hand that wasn't on the wheel to the edge of my seat before retracting it and then repeating it without saying a word. Practically getting _annoyingly_ too close to me before retracting it again and putting it back on the gear stick.

But, I was determined to not acknowledge it.

I just _knew_ he was waiting for me to say something and I wasn't going to give him that satisfaction of making him think he was getting to me.

Because it will be a cold day in _hell_ before I…

My thought process immediately cut off as my eyes went wide when I felt and then saw his hand slowly and subtly moving up on my left knee by his fingertips until splaying his fingers out slowly until his whole hand was covering my knee palm down, making a _warmth_ rush over me as I tried and failed to fight off a blush again as I felt my heart pounding in my chest. We finally turned into my neighborhood as I tried to grit my teeth.

_C'mon Heather, just ignore it. Don't let him even remotely think he's getting to you or how much you are secretly enjoying this in some sick way… Ugh, but why do his hands on any part of my body always have to feel right?!_

_Agh! Dammit, Heather! Stop it! You're pathetic!_

I kept getting consumed in whatever demented thought process I was having until I immediately froze up. His hand slowly started drifting from my knee and smoothing up my thigh, inching slowly and steadily closer to the bottom hem of my dress as I grit my teeth in shock and frustration.

_He… wouldn't… dare…_

All of a sudden he retracted his hand away from me and said, sounding as if nothing even happened, "We're back. I'll see you off."

I was so consumed by _whatever the hell THAT was_ that I finally noticed we were back in the driveway of my parents' house as I felt like I was almost breaking out in an annoyed and frustrated sweat.

_What the?..._

I was so consumed in _something_ that I hardly noticed my door opening and Alejandro waiting next to it with his hand extended out with a smile on his face as he said, "Allow me."

Okay, I know I've been _pretty_ adamant about brushing off the bulk of these advances earlier, but…

_Seriously? What is his deal?!_

I felt like I was so caught up in the confusing vortex of hell that was going on in my head that my body was just reacting on instinct as I reached out and let him take my hand, still having no idea what was even going on.

It was like I was some stupid sheep just willingly being lead to slaughter, and I was just _allowing_ the butcher to do it. A totally hot butcher, but a butcher I don't trust for anything at this point.

We finally got to the front door, him still holding my one hand but slowly wrapping his free arm slowly but surely around my waist like a snake with its prey.

_C'mon Heather! You aren't seriously just going to let him make you look like this and get away with it, are you?! Get a grip already and just smack this presumptuous jerk for trying to!…_

Suddenly he pulled me flush against him and it was like my mind was just wiped clean.

All I felt like I was able to do was just stare back at him as his eyes just locked on me and he said, his tone low and almost laced with temptation, "Well… I suppose this is where I say goodnight?"

My heart was pounding so hard I could almost hear my heartbeat in my ears as he leaned in closer, his face was inches from mine as he closed his eyes and started leaning in, making me catch the scent of his cologne again.

_Oh... screw it._

I closed my eyes and started leaning in too until I heard him let out a sigh and then felt him immediately take a step back, making me have to brace myself a little and regain my balance.

He straightened up, still holding my hand as he said, looking down slightly, "Well, I suppose this is goodbye Heather... since you didn't say that you enjoyed the date, I see no reason to string this out. Buenas noches and adiós."

All I could do was stand there in shock as he proceeded to press his lips to the back of my hand before letting go and walking away, leaving me standing there as I processed _what just happened_.

I kept standing there until everything finally hit me as I grit my teeth, clenched my fists, and glared at him as I saw him approaching his car.

Meanwhile I felt like I wanted to burn the world to the ground as my blood started boiling in pure rage.

_Oh no…he did NOT just do that to ME!_

I immediately started stomping toward him as my thoughts just flew out of my mouth completely unfiltered, " _You…_ Oh, YOU insufferable, skeezy, teasing son of a?!..." "Oh, I apologize Heather. Is something wrong?" He cut in calmly, _totally_ feigning ignorance, which only pissed me off even more.

"You're _damn right_ something's wrong! Did you think you were just going to get away with doing that to me?!" I directed as he still looked like he was _totally_ playing the ignorant card as he put a hand over his heart and inquired, making me want to punch him in the throat, "I have no idea what you're talking about?"

My eyes felt like they had daggers flying out of them at this point as I practically exploded, "Oh, you are _so_ full of it so just cut the crap! You made me waste a whole afternoon and night of my life getting dressed up to go out with you on a stupid date, you spent almost the entire time teasing me and driving me to the brink of insanity only for you to fake me out with some _lame-ass_ kiss on the hand, and then you just leave me hanging at the door by myself?! _Well_ , you _obviously_ need me to spell it out then, don't you? _This_ is how you end a date with _me_ since you were lucky enough to even get this out of _me_."

I gave him a hard glare as I grabbed him by the shirt with both hands before pulling him in and kissing him without hesitation.

I felt his body tense up for a second, making me smirk internally.

_Ha! Take that you teasing…_

On reflex, my eyes went wide as my thought process was cut off when I felt him relax before pressing his lips further into mine before placing his hands gently yet with a purpose on my waist as we kept kissing, that alone making a shiver go down my spine for a second.

My eyes closed as we held the kiss there for a few more seconds until I realized what I was doing and pulled away to regain control of the situation.

Once we separated, I pointed my right index finger directly in his face as I clutched my left fist around his shirt collar while giving him a stern gaze. Then I immediately practically spat my words at his face through my teeth, remembering how pissed I was, " _There_! Got it?!"

I watched as he sighed before closing his eyes and lowering his head before saying, "You're right, Heather. That was my fault and was definitely a critical error on my part. I assume you'd like me to do something about it to redeem myself?"

"You're damn right I do... After this craptastic disaster, _you_ are going to take me out again and do it _right_ this time." I spat, narrowing my eyes at him, still holding his shirt.

"That's fair. I deserve that. How does same time next week sound?" He replies smoothly.

" _Fine…_ and you'd better be on time." I directed with a hard glare as I saw him put his hand to his heart again before saying, "You have my word. I'll be here promptly at 6 next Saturday to pick you up."

" _Good_." I said shortly before turning on my heels and strutting away, still pissed off and frustrated to completion.

I was halfway to the door until I stopped abruptly as a sudden realization hit me like a truck.

The teasing, the feigned ignorance, and purposefully driving me crazy…

_That jerk tricked me..._

**({No POV})**

Alejandro; meanwhile, was sitting in the driver's seat of the car and sitting back with his arms crossed and a grin plastered to his face as he watched Heather as if he was watching an entertaining drive-in movie.

Watching as her back slowly became more taut and tense, her hands clenching into tight fists before ever so slightly shaking as he saw her rage and frustration continue to build up.

But, this was exactly what he planned.

He knew simply taking Heather on a date was never going to work out like he planned. Even if she did enjoy herself, he knew she would still not agree to go out with him again afterward due to her own stubborn nature.

And that was not what he wanted to happen since what he had in mind went way beyond these dates… something _much_ more important.

Though Heather did keep him on his toes and he always admired and hated that about her, he also knew exactly what made her tick and how she reacts to things.

He knew that teasing her all night after luring her into a false sense of security would drive her completely insane and then leaving her completely hanging like he did would be the nail in the coffin to make her lose it, just as she confirmed this when his plan of _reverse psychology_ worked as Heather just technically agreed to go on another date with him out of her own stubborn and flustered rage.

Sure the kiss was an _unexpected turn_ to him, but not something he was necessarily _complaining_ about, quite the contrary.

Alejandro could have left right then, but he was enjoying what he was seeing too much to even do anything else as he grinned even more before counting down to himself almost knowingly playful, "And 5, 4, 3, 2, 1…"

Almost on cue, Heather exasperated out loud as she looked like she was having an absolute conniption at knowing she was tricked by him. Alejandro continued to grin as he watched Heather even going to the extent of kicking a decorative ficus near the driveway out of rage before gripping her hands into her hair.

After amusing himself with watching Heather's outburst for a bit longer and relishing in his _victory_ , Alejandro glanced down to start the ignition and drive home when all of a sudden he heard a rapping on the glass of his window. He saw Heather giving him a hard and borderline manic glare at him through the tinted windows.

Though hesitant, Alejandro rolled down the window, still grinning as he inquired simply, "Yes?"

Heather pointed her finger at him again as she said, still clearly flustered and enraged, "Let's make one thing clear, right now... _We_ are not going on a second date. It's _just_ a do-over. _Got it?!"_

Alejandro kept an even expression as he replied in a very inconspicuous tone, "Whatever you say, Heather."

Heather didn't bother to say anything else as she turned on her heels and started to strut away again, the clicking of her heels might as well have been the 4 horsemen of the apocalypse at that moment with how ominous yet violent they sounded against the pavement.

But, Alejandro was waiting.

He kept his eyes trained on her until he felt a satisfied wave go through him as he saw Heather slowly come to stop before hesitantly looking over her shoulder back at him.

He just smiled and though even he thought he was mildly crazy and a possible glutton for punishment at what he did next. Alejandro couldn't resist as he winked before blowing her a kiss out the car window.

Heather gave him another flustered glare before exacerbating again and stomping into the house, slamming the front door shut behind her.

Alejandro rolled the window back up before settling into the driver's seat again.

Slowly; however, a determined look crept up on his face as he said to himself, "Have it your way for now, Heather. Eventually you _will_ crack and give me what I want, what we _both_ want…"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ah, a classic example of Aleheather and even though both of them know how to press each other's buttons, Alejandro always likes to tease and flirt with Heather to the point of making her flustered and angry to completion. Because to me… Flustered/Sexually Frustrated Heather is literally one of the funniest things. That's probably the main reason why I like Alejandro. To me, Alejandro by himself is an okay character, but put him with Heather and just the way he likes playing around and flirting with her and just remaining calm while he does it like he did in World Tour was just hysterical and still is to me now as an adult. Lol. XD So I thought this sort of interaction would totally happen in a real life situation between them. Even though they aren't in a competition, Alejandro would still try to use that edge he has over Heather to trick her into agreeing to going out with him again… even if it meant unmercifully teasing her to the point of explosion. So, I really hope you guys enjoyed it! Also, I could totally see Heather with her background of being a stereotypical spoiled snotty rich girl, that she would have a background in being in a fancy junior league type organization where she'd learn how to dance and use that to play with Alejandro to put him in his place a little. Oh the mind games that Alejandro and Heather play with each other. Lol. XD Anyway, thank you guys so much for reading and please leave a constructive review if you can to let me know what you thought! Feedback is always very much appreciated. Have a lovely weekend everyone!
> 
> Stay classy and safe!
> 
> Dexter1995


	4. Bridges

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Again… wow! The overwhelmingly positive feedback from you guys has been absolutely crazy! I am just so happy you all have been enjoying the fanfic thus far and think I'm doing an excellent job of portraying Alejandro and Heather as both characters and a couple. As both a fan of Heather as a character and Aleheather as a couple… that means so much to me to hear that I am doing them justice. So thank you! :) I'd also like to take the opportunity to answer some comments and questions from 'Guest' and 'JustaFriend'. Yes, I will most definitely be delving deeper into Alejandro and Heather's emotions. The specifically to 'JustaFriend' in regards to both seeing Alejandro's family and some POV's other than Heather's. Let's just say you'll get what you wish for sooner than you think. As for Alejandro's POV, I am saving his for a particular moment in the story… so it will be there! Anyway, this is more of just a bridge chapter that will lead up to the 2nd/'do-over' date that Heather 'agreed' to go on. Lol. XD Anyway, hope you all enjoy!

**({No POV})**

Alejandro pulled back into the driveway of his parent's diplomatic residence in Ottawa after his date the previous night with Heather, a grin on his face after he got out of the car.

A complete look of confident pride and satisfaction was coming off of him as he headed around to get his suitcase out of the trunk.

Right after he retrieved his suitcase, he made his way to the front door until he saw the door open and someone walk out onto the front porch.

He was quite a fit and tall man in his mid-fifties, but was _strikingly_ handsome for a man of his age. He was sporting a light grey suit, dark grey vest, and a green button down shirt underneath that was open just enough to show the long horn necklace around his neck.

His greying light brown hair was short and slicked back with pomade and had a short anchor goatee that matched. He also had light green eyes and a tan complexion that matched Alejandro's on the dot.

It was none other than Alejandro's father and Spanish diplomat to Canada.

_Gerardo Burromuerto._

After looking at his watch, Gerardo took notice of his youngest son walking up as Alejandro kept doing the same back at his father.

Gerardo smirked and made his way down the steps and greeted smoothly, "Ah, buenos días hijo." "Hola Padre." Alejandro returned just as smoothly.

"Did you just get back? You've been gone almost 3 days." Gerardo inquired, looking curious.

Alejandro grinned slightly and nodded before responding, "Yes, although I did spend last night at a hotel before coming home after I went out with Heather. Heather didn't get back until yesterday at about noon, so I had to _spend my time constructively_ until then."

"Ah yes, that was very generous of her parents to let you stay the night. I'll send them an arrangement as a thank you." Gerardo said, pulling out his phone and making a note of it in his memos.

Alejandro put his hand up as he said, "That's not necessary, father. I made sure to thank them properly."

Gerardo grinned, looking proud, before responding, "I'm sure you did. I think I know my sons. But… never hurts to give a little _extra_ gratitude, especially to a young lady's family, sí?"

He gave his son a slight wink as he pat him in a fatherly manner on the shoulder, making Alejandro grin slightly.

After a moment, Gerardo retracted his hand as he inquired, looking curious again, "Speaking of… how did it go with your young lady?"

Alejandro couldn't help but grin in absolute pride and satisfaction again as he responded in a matching tone, "If the consolation of having another date lined up for next Saturday means anything… I'd say it was quite successful. Which reminds me, thank you for the car."

Alejandro held the keys to his father's sports car out in front of him as his father gave him a slightly playful and knowing look, meanwhile Alejandro was still even in disbelief at his father even loaning him his car to begin with… or even how it happened.

* * *

_**3 days ago** _

Gerardo was sitting at the dining room table as he read the paper with his cup of coffee like he usually did every morning before work while José sat at the opposite end of the table, eating a plate of scrambled eggs and side of toast while reading a textbook for one of his grad school classes.

Alejandro's mother had already left earlier that morning for a meeting and they thought Alejandro was out on his usual morning run before breakfast so the two were slightly surprised when they heard footfall coming down the stairs.

Gerardo set his newspaper down just in time to see Alejandro come down the stairs with a suitcase in hand and a determined look on his son's face.

"Where are you going?" Gerardo inquired, quirking up an eyebrow, catching Alejandro's attention.

Alejandro stopped for a second before turning around, still retaining a rather serious look on his face.

He looked like he debated to himself for a second before responding, very matter of fact and also dead set, "If you must know, I am going to drive to the Toronto area to see Heather. Yes, I am very well aware that mother would not approve and I have no idea what you think on the subject since you always remain silent on it, but nothing is going to deter me from wanting to see her or change my mind. So adíos."

Alejandro turned and looked like he was about to charge ahead out the door until he heard his father say, practically command, "Alejandro, don't take one more step."

Although having just turned 21 the previous week and has single-handedly swindled many nannies with his charm into allowing him to do what he wanted during his childhood… Alejandro has never and _still_ was not able to refuse a request like this from either of his parents, particularly his father.

Alejandro stopped and turned around rigidly only to see his father was already up from his chair and walking toward him with an unreadable expression on his face.

Looking past his shoulder, Alejandro caught José looking on at the situation with an amused and slightly wicked smirk on his face.

But Alejandro had no more time to ponder the subject as his father stood in front of him with crossed arms for a moment and sternly looked his youngest son up and down.

After a moment, Gerardo held out his right hand and almost commanded, "Give me your keys."

Alejandro gave his father a wide eyed look at the ridiculous request of handing his car keys over to his father as he started to protest, "Father...," " _Hijo…_ " Gerardo interjected, waving his fingers toward himself as emphasis on making his youngest son hand over his car keys.

Alejandro sighed in frustration as he dug his hand into his pocket and begrudgingly handed over his keys.

However, Alejandro's eyes went wide as his father dropped his keys into his suit jacket pocket and in the process Gerardo retrieved the key to his prized sports car as he started, "Now, if I was your age, I'd think a car like mine would be more suitable for taking out and impressing a young lady on a date."

Alejandro's eyes went wide as his father gave him the keys to his car and José was mirroring a similar expression in the background, almost choking on his eggs at a point as well in shock.

Both of them, and also their oldest brother Carlos, knew that their father would _never_ allow anyone other than himself to drive his car ever. So the fact that he just gave Alejandro full permission to use the car left both a usually cool and collected Alejandro and José in a state of shock.

Gerardo; however, put a hand on Alejandro's shoulder and grinned knowingly at him before saying, "Now, go show that young lady of yours a good time _and_ why Burromuerto men are not to be underestimated or ignored."

As much as Alejandro was still in disbelief, as was José, until finally Alejandro just grinned back in a similar fashion and gave his father a confident and firm nod.

Gerardo gave his son a proud smirk and shook Alejandro's hand as he said, " _Excellent_. Go on then and I expect a positive report when you return."

Gerardo gave Alejandro another quick and firm handshake before turning around to head back to the table to finish his coffee and the paper.

Meanwhile José, who had surprisingly remained silent, was giving his youngest brother an in shock and incredulous look, making Alejandro give him a cocky and victorious smirk before he made a b-line out the front door with his suitcase.

After Alejandro had left, Gerardo looked like he was about to sit when José slammed his hand holding his fork down on the table, clearly fuming and agitated.

All Gerardo did was quirk an eyebrow up as he inquired calmly, "What's got you worked up, son?"

José scowled and got up from his seat and said in complete displeasure, making his way over to his father, "Father, you _cannot_ be serious!"

Gerardo just looked at his middle son completely unphased as he responded simply, talking to José as if he were a rowdy child rather than a 23 year old man, "There's no need to shout, José."

José hardly seemed to care as his dark green eyes filled with absolute outrage.

"This is completely unfair! I asked you so many times to barrow your car for a date and you always said no! Yet Al didn't even ask and you just handed your car over?! Why does _he_ get it?!" José complained, completely infuriated… and the fact that Alejandro subtly taunted him about it before he walked out also only fanned his anger to a full blaze.

Gerardo paused for a moment as he took his newspaper under his arm that was also holding his cup of coffee and then looked to his son as he stated, very matter of fact, "Because _he_ has proven to me that he's earned it."

José's whole expression just twisted in complete confusion at what his father said as Gerardo just smirked and gave José a couple pats on the shoulder with his free hand as he said, "I'll be in the study finishing my coffee and paper if you need me. There's this new restaurant that I was just reading about downtown that I'd love to take your mother to."

After that, José was just left standing there in a state that could only be described as displeased confusion at what just occurred.

* * *

_**Present day** _

Not that Alejandro was complaining about it, but it was still extremely surprising to him that his father just gave him his car.

Also the fact that his father seemed more than _approving_ of him pursuing Heather was also something he found both quite shocking and _intriguing_.

Alejandro hardly had time to think anymore on the subject as Gerardo gave his son a proud smirk as he replied, "Splendid. Glad to hear it was a success. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to take advantage of my free afternoon to surprise your lovely mother with a nice luncheon after her appointment. José is at the gym so you should have full reign of the house for a bit. I'll see you later, son."

Alejandro just nodded to his father as he proceeded to walk out to his car.

After that, Alejandro walked into the house and made his way up to his room and started to unpack.

Once all his things were sorted, he smirked to himself as he took his phone out of his pocket before saying to himself, "Well, as long as I have a moment, _perhaps_ I should reach out to _my_ lovely date..."

He selected Heather's contact and sat on his bed as he started typing.

_**[Suburban Toronto]** _

**(Heather's POV)**

I stuck my head out of the bathroom as I called out in disgust, "Ugh! Damien! How many times have I told you to wash your stupid hair down the drain after you take a shower, you dirtball?!"

Damien groaned as he called back, me pretty much hearing the annoyed eye roll in his voice, "What do you expect? I'm a guy! I have body hair! Just deal!"

" _Yeah_ , body hair that _I_ don't know _what part_ of your gross body it came off of and _I_ don't want to touch it!" I emphasized, totally done.

"Okay _, whatever!_ I'll do it! Now will you shut up already?! I'm trying to finish this level and your squawking is making it impossible." He called back in annoyance.

I walked out of the bathroom in my towel as I threatened, "Fine! But, just know that if I find one of your stupid hairs in the shower again. I _will_ take my waxing strips and rip out your armpit hair to ensure that lesson _finally_ sinks into your stupid thick head."

"Yeah, whatever." I heard him say back, totally not listening.

_Ugh… I hate him so much._

I finally got into my room and was going to get changed when I saw my notification light on my phone flashing. I quirked up an eyebrow as I picked up my phone and unlocked it.

It was a text from an unknown number and I was about to roll my eyes and delete it until I actually saw the message:

* * *

 _Unknown:_ Hola mi reina, I just wanted to check in and see how you were? Also, if you don't mind, I wanted to ask you about some ideas I had for our date next Saturday. Just call or text me whenever you have a moment.

Looking forward to hearing from you,

Alejandro Burromuerto Ledvora

* * *

_Ugh… of course._

Okay but first off, 'Ledvora'?

Secondly, he texts like he's out of a freaking Jane Austen novel because of course he does.

Third... how the _hell_ did he get my number?!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Honestly, with how formal and suave Alejandro is as a character, I could totally see him being the kind of texter who would practically be writing short letters as texts. Partially because of his personality… and because it's another thing that he could use to throw Heather off her usual game. Haha. XD I also hope you enjoyed my portrayal of Alejandro's diplomat father. Though like many of the character's parents, we never got to see Alejandro's, but I just pictured Alejandro's father as just this calm, dashing, smooth talking, mysterious, and slightly calculated man. He is a diplomat after all so he is probably a gentleman who knows how to sway people into his favor, much like his son has learned it seems. Also that Señor Burromuerto seems to not mind Alejandro and Heather's relationship? But, anyway, this was more just an introduction into Alejandro's family life and more will be shown later, but I just wanted to give a little bit of a taste for now. Then of course I had to end this with a slightly flustered Heather because yes I had to. Haha. XD Anyway, thank you all so much for reading and constructive reviews on what you thought of the chapter are always very much appreciated.
> 
> Thank you all so much and stay safe and classy out there!
> 
> Dexter1995


	5. Counter

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay you guys are seriously something else… thank you all so much for all the amazing feedback you all have given me thus far! To hear that I am doing justice for my all time favorite TD pairing is just awesome and the fact that you guys are enjoying reading it as much as I'm writing it makes it even better! Your words have brought a smile to my face during my hard work days taking care of my patients when I really need to hear something nice or funny. So seriously, thank you all so much again! Here's the 2nd/do-over date, whatever you want to call it since Heather is SO in denial. Lol. XD Enjoy!

**(Heather's POV)**

All I did was just keep staring at myself in the mirror, trying to figure out how the hell I even got here? Or how I must be literally insane now that I'm even going out with him again period.

 _UGH!_ I still _cannot_ believe that pompous jerk tricked me.

After all the times in past on the show when I thought I had his stupid tricks figured out, but I was a total idiot and just let him bait me into it.

He totally knew what he was doing to me to make me lose it AND that he could take advantage of that to trick me into going out with him again.

Alejandro totally knew that he _got me good_ too.

I could tell by that smug grin on his face when he blew me that stupid kiss from his car. It was almost like he was mocking me with the fact that he got me.

Well, _he_ is in for a _rude awakening_ tonight.

He forgets that he's not the _only_ one that can play this kind of game.

I smirked to myself in the mirror, having it all mapped out in my head for how I was going to completely make him regret messing with me. And also for sweet talking my mom into giving him my number.

Ugh, as much as I can't believe it… I totally can with the way Alejandro can talk his way through nearly anything. Seriously, he could probably sweet talk almost any girl into hiding a dead body for him or something if he had to.

Take it from a girl that knows how much of an arrogant, sadistic flirt he is.

_Oh, just you wait, Alejandro. Tonight you are so gonna get it._

I looked at the time and realized it was 5:55.

But when I looked out my window to check if he was here yet, my entire expression dropped. Alejandro and Damien looked like they were talking to each other in the driveway.

After having a micro-existential crisis, my eyebrows knit together and I clenched my fists in pure rage as I started stomping down the stairs.

 _If that little scuzz bucket even_ thinks _of trying to humiliate me by saying something to Alejandro..._ _he is SO dead._

_**10 minutes prior** _

**({No POV})**

Damien was outside the house shooting hoops in the driveway and smirked as he sunk a 3-pointer.

Almost on cue, he heard a car pull up, thinking it was probably his parents since they were probably coming back from a country club event soon.

He took another 3-pointer as he heard a car door shut and sunk it again as he heard a smooth voice comment, "Nice shot. I personally prefer fútbol but all athletics are something I can appreciate."

Damien looked over to see Alejandro standing several feet away from him, dressed in his usual clothes but holding onto a bouquet of half a dozen roses in his left hand.

It was a slight stand off since the two had never properly met or even talked until now.

During Alejandro's _visit_ the previous weekend, Damien was actually out most of the day and night for either basketball practices or hanging out with friends.

So he didn't really even see Alejandro until the following morning.

Though Damien wasn't ignorant... _far_ from it.

After watching both Alejandro and Heather on TV respectively, he had a _pretty good idea_ on what Alejandro was like.

Damien put the ball under his arm as he responded simply to Alejandro, "Former high school team shooting guard … and I'm on a University scholarship."

"Well, many congratulations on the scholarship then." Alejandro replied smoothly with a grin and nodded his head slightly as Damien continued to give Alejandro a _look_.

It was silent for several moments until Alejandro stepped forward and extended out his hand, "I don't think we've met properly yet. It's Damien, correct? Heather's younger brother? Alejandro Burromuerto, pleasure."

Damien just gave Alejandro's outstretched hand a skeptical glance before giving Alejandro himself a similar look before saying, "Okay _Zorro_ , let's cut the _chitchat_ BS here. Now, I'm sure that I'll probably regret even asking about this but… seriously, what the hell is the deal with you and my sister?"

Alejandro quirked up an eyebrow before responding, "I'm not sure what you're referring to, _amigo_?"

Finally Damien put his free hand up as he said, "Look man, just for the record, I seriously really don't want to know what you and Heather have _going on_. _REALLY_ don't. But, don't treat this like I don't see what you're trying to do, so just cut to the chase and just say that you're trying to hook up with my sister already… even though I have no idea why any guy with any sanity would even want her to be honest?"

Alejandro felt a twinge of offense for a moment at what Damien just said.

Not only for basically questioning his _taste in women_ or his sanity… but also for how he was talking about his feelings for Heather.

But he kept it to himself.

"Well now, there's no need to be _crude_ here. And despite _this_ to me being none of your business, you honestly couldn't be more wrong. Those are not my _sole intentions_ with your sister. To me Heather is…" Alejandro started only for Damien to cut in passive aggressively, "Awful? And don't even deny that my sister sucks since she _totally_ does. Believe the guy that's known her for the entire 18 years he's been alive. Forget that stupid show where an actual prize was on the line, she once put a tarantula in another chick's locker at our school _just_ because she beat her out for Queen at the Winter Formal dance. And especially after _what happened_ between you and her a couple years back that honestly only makes me confused as all get out as to how you could possibly even still want her."

Alejandro tried to maintain a calm exterior but his free hand clenched at his side at the mention of _what happened_ in Hawaii, but not for the reason one would think.

But Alejandro stayed silent as Damien continued, "Trust me and to quote my oldest sister, Heather is a total 'fire breathing, backstabbing shrew in designer clothes'. Now granted, I've seen how you _operate_ and just like that Noah guy said, you are basically just like my sister but you just happen to have a better personality and better social skills than she does. But then again I've also gotta give you credit. As completely _messed up_ and _insane_ as you guys are to me, I've never seen any guy get _anywhere_ with her other than you since all I've seen her do is either reject or insult pretty much every guy that even spits in her direction or that she didn't want to use as a _one-time trophy date_ for a dance. Not to mention the fact that she's _so_ into you that it's painfully obvious."

Alejandro still looked offended until he caught what Damien said at the end that really _piqued his interest_.

"How so?" Alejandro inquired, looking intrigued.

"Again, I don't really _want_ to know what you and Heather have _going on_ or what you even _see in her_ literally at all that makes you keep coming back and doing all this whole _gallantry schtick_ with her. But she's so full of crap when she's being all pissy with you and you probably already know that. Because believe me, I could tell you things that she'd _hate_ for me to tell you." Damien led on.

Alejandro was just processing everything Damien just told him until he was ripped out of his thoughts when he heard a familiar tone practically growl/yell, "Damien!"

Alejandro smirked when he looked over and saw Heather charging toward them with a purpose… as well as a beyond pissed off look on her face.

"Ah, hola _mi ángel_." Alejandro greeted smoothly with a grin and Heather was hardly paying attention as she put a hand up in front of Alejandro's face, cutting him off, and started sharply, "Save it."

Her eyes were completely narrowed at Damien as she took her hand and directed her pointer finger in his direction before directing in anger and a hint of defensiveness, "What the hell did you say to him?"

Damien just gave Heather an unimpressed shrug before replying simply, "Nuthin'."

"You better not be lying, you little twerp. Or so help me I will…" Heather threatened until Alejandro put a hand on her shoulder and cut in smoothly, "Don't worry, Heather. I only got here a few minutes early so I took the opportunity to _introduce myself_ to your brother. Nothing more. However, _I_ have something more. These are for you."

Alejandro held up the half dozen red roses he had been holding onto, a grin on his face as he held them out to her.

Heather froze up for a second in slight shock and surprise, not even noticing he had them until now.

Alejandro just smirked as he continued, "I had no idea if you'd like them at all. But, I figured a small _offering_ seemed fitting this time around. Particularly since I'm determined to _redeem myself_ after last time."

Heather looked at the flowers before taking them and scoffing, referring to the type of flowers he gave her, "Lucky guess…"

Alejandro then further took Heather off guard when he put his hand on the side of her face as he said, "Although I must admit... even something as beautiful as these seems to pale in comparison to you."

Heather just kept staring at him as a slight blush came through on her face for a moment, looking like she was almost _zoning out_ and freezing up for a second.

"So, are you guys gonna get a room or should I go throw up somewhere else?" Damien interjected in annoyed disgust.

Her brother's comment seemed to immediately snap Heather out of it as she shoved off Alejandro's hand with urgency, looking like she was trying to get a grip, and gave her brother a scornful death glare before saying harshly through her teeth in spurts of frustration and annoyed anger, " _Get._ _Bent_. Damien."

"And _that_ answers my question. Look, you guys just leave and I'll take your stupid flowers inside so I can get back to my shooting drills, cool?" Damien offered, dropping the basketball before holding his hand out and looked like he wanted nothing more than them both to just leave, even if it meant doing a _favor_ for his sister.

Heather gave her brother a sharp glare before giving him the flowers and saying, " _Fine…_ and you better put them in water."

"Whatever, _your majesty."_ Damien responded mockingly as he rolled his eyes.

Heather narrowed her eyes at him before picking up the basketball on the ground and throwing it at him, hitting Damien square on the back of the head _hard_ as a 'pang' from the ball echoed slightly on contact.

"OW! HEATHER?! What the hell?!" Damien yelled agitated as he put his free hand on the back of his head.

Damien turned back and glared at his sister while she gave him a hard glare back and flipped him off.

Well, until Damien just grunted and turned around still rubbing the back of his head while mumbling a variety of _colorful words_ to himself as we walked to the house, causing Heather to smirk a little to herself in satisfaction at her successful _payback_.

Meanwhile Alejandro was standing off to the side, seeming amused by the _exchange_ between Heather and her brother.

Particularly seeing Damien getting hit by the basketball since he wasn't sure whether he liked him or not now after his previous _comments_ concerning both himself and Heather.

However, he was still intrigued by what Damien was letting on towards the end of his final statement in their _conversation_ , but brushed the thought out of his mind for now.

He waited a moment until he grinned as he said, looking toward Heather, "So _mi cariña_ … shall we depart?"

He smirked expectantly as he held out his arm to her while using his other to motion to his car in front of them.

Heather just gave him a slight look and scoffed before rolling her eyes while replying, "Whatever, and just to be clear… I'm _still_ not happy about this."

She eventually linked her arm with his and Alejandro; meanwhile, tried to remain nonchalant as he led them to his car but eventually let a satisfied smirk slip as he got them to the car.

_**3 hours later** _

**(Heather's POV)**

_Okay… something's_ definitely _up._

This has been going _way_ too normally.

So far all we've done is drive toward Toronto again and have dinner at this mediterranean place and… _nothing._ After him teasing me to the point of annoyed insanity last time he's _actually_ been keeping his hands to himself this time.

_Ugh! He's totally doing this on purpose! I know he is!_

If that jerk would have just done this last time, I would've been able to just reject him last week and be done with this idiocy!

_He's up to something again… I know it._

Well, not if I get him first and give him a little taste of his own medicine.

Well… kind of. Got to keep my plans somewhat original and unpredictable.

Even though, he told me we were going out for dinner, he wanted to keep the 2nd half of it a surprise for some annoyingly stupid reason, even though after seeing a few hints I had a pretty good idea… and also gave me a good idea for how to totally one up him.

_The Botanic Gardens._

We pulled into a parking spot as he said, "I thought after last time we could do with something a bit more _relaxed_ this time around. So I saw the botanic gardens was having a night event with the _gardens in lights_ where you could walk through at night and see the gardens lit up."

I scoffed before commenting, "Well, lit up or not, it's probably still going to be just as painfully boring as when I was here in grade 9." "In that case, I'll be sure to keep my conversational skills sharp. Shall we?" He said, motioning in front of him.

" _Fine…"_ I drolled on, still trying to maintain my usual front with him.

I can't jump into it too quickly.

Even when I linked my arm with his again outside the car, I tried to maintain a straight face and not do anything to give myself or my plan away… even though it's becoming stupidly difficult for me to hide how much I _don't mind it_ the more I'm around him.

Which all _could've_ been avoided had he not been a total tease the last time and just let me reject him to get him the hell away from me already!

We kept walking until I noticed these two other girls a little ahead of us that were both looking in our direction, well _gawking_ at Alejandro.

I felt an immediate twinge in my stomach and glared at them as I reflexively pulled Alejandro closer to me by his arm.

It was silent for a few moments until I realized _what I did_ and wanted to curse myself out when he commented, "Not that I'm in anyway _complaining_ , but what's _this_ all of a sudden?"

We walked past the girls finally as I saw Alejandro grin before looking back at me, his tone sounding teasing and smug as he realized what was going on and meanwhile I just wanted to spontaneously combust out of existence or knock out his teeth… I couldn't decide, "Now Heather… there's no need to be _jealous_."

I gave him a narrowed look as I snapped, " _I_ am not 'jealous', you egomaniac! _You_ are on a date with _me;_ therefore, I am _not_ just going to let other girls move in on my date like a total doormat. _I_ have standards. Got it?!" "If you insist…" He carried on, still sounding teasing as I rolled my eyes at him.

_Ugh… damn him._

We kept walking in silence until he said, "As _romantic_ as silence in this _resplendent atmosphere_ is, I'd much rather us talk and try to get to know each other. This is a date after all, is it not?"

"And why would I want to talk to you about anything since all you do is mess with or tease me every time I say something?" I pointed out, still pissed at him.

"I don't _always_ tease you, Heather… Though I must admit that you are _very_ fun to tease." He responds, making me punch him out of frustration on the shoulder with my free hand, but that only made him laugh which pissed me off even more.

_Ugh, that... AGH?!_

I tried to calm down, _especially_ since I could see _what I was waiting for_ several hundred yards ahead.

_You can do it, Heather. Just breathe and keep your eyes on the prize. All you have to do is make a turn on him. It's now or never._

"Okay _fine_ , what was that 'Ledvora' thing about that was _tacked on_ to your name in that text?" I asked, partially to get him _where I want him_ and also because I weirdly was curious about it, even though I had a hunch.

He just grinned before explaining, "Well, 'Ledvora' is part of my full legal name, my second surname actually. Since I was born in Spain, rather than using middle names, traditionally naming is done using a first name, in my case 'Alejandro', and then 2 surnames. The primary being from my father, Burromuerto, and the secondary, Ledvora, from my mother. Although I hardly ever use my second surname here since it's just not in the culture, so for all intensive purposes I am just Alejandro Burromuerto."

"Hmph." I let out, still going along with it and because I kind of had a hunch on that since I remembered learning that in school, but at least it was a distraction.

And _exactly_ the sort of distraction I needed, especially when I noticed the bridge and the pond coming up ahead as we kept walking.

_Okay… now._

I put my other hand on his arm as we kept walking, making him look at me with that same smug grin on his face.

Okay, as much as I hate fueling his stupid ego in his big fat head by doing this right now, it was necessary for my revenge.

This was only confirmed for me when I heard him suggest, suppressing everything in me from giving it away, "Let's stop up ahead for a bit, shall we?"

I maintained an even expression as I said, keeping my tone annoyed like I usually do with him, "Fine."

_Ha! Sucker... He's totally playing into me right now._ _All I need to do is just wait to pull the trigger._

We got to the bridge that went over this small man-made creek in the middle of the gardens that I remembered from our grade 9 field trip… and _exactly_ the spot I needed to execute my plan.

We stopped at the midpoint of the bridge, realizing we were the only two people remotely in the vicinity.

Not that it matters… since I _am_ going to make him pay for what he did to me last week no matter what.

"So… have I _redeemed myself_ from my previous errors last week?" He asked, clearly _playing with me_ and trying to bait me into something like he usually does.

_Oh… yes._

I scoffed as I crossed my arms, retracting my arm from him in that process as I responded, "Um, _yeah_ … no. It's going to take _a lot_ more than flattery and flowers to get me to admit that all those stunts you pulled at the club or that total _crap parade_ you called a 'goodnight' are even _remotely_ forgotten."

After a few seconds I heard him sigh next me slightly, looking down for a second with his arms behind his back, while saying, "You're right, Heather. That was tactless of me, _but…_ "

I was about to look over when he paused until I was caught off guard for a second as he turned me so my back was against the railing of the bridge and he was standing in front of me.

His hands were resting on the railing behind me on either side, almost trying to keep me there as I looked up only to see a smirk spread across his face as he continued, his eyes locking onto me, " _Perhaps…_ you could allow me to make some _amends_ on that score?"

I froze up for a second as I saw him close his eyes and start to lean in and I reacted fast as I completely ducked out from underneath him until I was behind him.

He looked like he stumbled and was caught off guard as he leaned out over the bar and I quickly grabbed him by the belt on his pants and tossed him over the railing into the creek before he shifted his momentum backward.

Hearing him let out a slight gasp/grunt before hearing the _satisfying_ splash of him falling in.

I walked up to the railing again and saw him come back up to the surface, spitting out water and letting out a cough to clear out his throat as he smoothed his soaked hair away from his face with his right hand.

_Okay, not exactly how I was planning to do this, but.. this works for me!_

The water wasn't that deep, probably only about 3 feet as he stood up and it came to a little below waist height on him. He looked up at me with an in-shock look.

_Oh that felt so good..._

I couldn't resist as I leaned on the bridge's railing on my elbows and flashing a victorious smirk before commenting, definitely sound like I was enjoying this more than I probably should, "You know what? You're right. Looks like _making amends_ was all that needed to be done. Tell me… how does it feel to be on this end of the stick?"

He narrowed his eyes and scowled at me a little, trudging through the water a bit and got close to the bridge again. He got to the railing and looked up at me slightly until I saw his expression morph into a slight smirk as he responded, "I'm not sure, Heather. How about you tell me?"

Before I could do anything he grabbed me as my eyes went wide and let out a 'HEY!' before he put me over his left shoulder. I was pounding my fists on his back, but he refused to let me go.

"UGH! Dammit, Alejandro! Put me down!" I yelled, hating him turning the tables back on me.

"As you wish…" He replied, almost mockingly, until my expression contorted as he tossed me off his shoulder into the water. I resurfaced completely soaked… and _done_ as all get out as every muscle in my body locked in rage.

After pulling my hair out of my eyes and smoothing it back, I became especially pissed when I saw him smirking at me with a quirked up eyebrow and practically standing in a power pose over me, looking amused.

"You jerk! I said 'put me down', not drop me in the stupid creek!" I spat.

He held his position as he responded, very matter of fact and also slightly playful, "If I recall, all you asked was for me to _put you down_ … you never specified how or where to _put you down_. And to me, _here_ seemed as good a place as any. Also, I must admit… this is a pretty good look on you, chica."

I could feel my whole body tense up and start shaking in rage as he gave me a winning and cocky grin before laughing to himself.

_OH! That's IT!_

I got up as fast as I could and trudged through the water violently. My eyes shooting daggers at him as I raised my hand to smack him across the face when he caught my hand midair by the wrist before using my arm to pull me in closer toward him.

His expression looked completely serious as his eyes narrowed at me slightly, making me freeze up for a second.

I was expecting him to make some kind of a remark, until he brought his other hand up to the side of my face. His expression slowly neutralized but his eyes were still looking right into mine, almost like he was seeing through me.

I was about to shove him away when he used his other arm to wrap around my waist and pulled me in and my eyes went wide on contact when he kissed me.

 _C'mon_ _Heather! Stop it! Push him! Dammit, do something?! Don't just let him do what he wants with you like this or…_

My thought process was cut off when he let go of my wrist and moved that hand to my back before smoothing it down and making my eyes roll back a bit on reflex.

_Ugh… why does he have to know how to get to me like this?!_

Everything in my entire being was just screaming at me until he smoothed his hand up to the back of my head, his fingers slowly and strategically weaving into my hair as I practically betrayed myself by sighing, feeling him smirk against my lips as we kept kissing.

_Well… ugh, dammit._

_**1 hour later** _

**({No POV})**

Heather's mother looked like she was about to go to bed when she heard the front door open and then immediately slam shut.

She looked over only to have her eyes go wide to see her daughter in a very _peculiar state._

Particularly that Heather looked as if she'd been pushed into a lake recently by her hair and state of dress… and that she also kind of _smelled like it_ by the distinct scent of stale water and algae _._

She would've asked about it directly, but the _pissed off expression_ on Heather's face made her decide otherwise.

But, she decided to at least _attempt_ to make conversation as she said, "Hi hun… how was your date?"

Heather just maintained that look like she was about to burn the world to the ground as she spat out, " _Awful_."

Her mother tilted her head and also looked disappointed, thinking Heather and Alejandro broke up (despite the fact that they were never officially dating to begin with).

"Why? Did you and Alejandro break up?" Her mom asked, still completely ignorant to the fact that they weren't even actually together officially.

" _No…_ we're going out _again_ next week." Heather admitted through her teeth, so angry and flustered that she completely forgot to get defensive about her mom falsely referring to Alejandro as her boyfriend.

Her mother tilted her head in confusion at her daughter saying her date was 'awful' but yet she was also going out with Alejandro again?…

Nothing made sense.

Her mom looked like she was about to ask for clarification until Heather just grunted in frustration before cutting her mother off sharply, " _Don't_ ask."

Heather then promptly kick off her shoes and then stomped past her mother and went up to her room before slamming her door shut behind her so loud that it echoed through the house… and it closely being followed by what could only have been Heather exasperating and swearing up a storm in her room out of frustration.

Damien looked out over the banister upstairs and looked down at his mom before asking, "What's she having a cow about this time _?_ "

Heather's mother still looked completely lost about what was happening until she looked back up at Damien and expressed honesty, "I honestly have no idea?"

After that she walked past the stairs to her and her husband's master bedroom on the first floor while Damien just continued to look at Heather's room, still hearing his sister going on an absolute tirade behind the closed door.

Eventually he rolled his eyes, having a _hunch_ about _what was up_ as he shrugged, looking annoyed, and then went into his room to play video games before going to bed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well… I know this wasn't as involved of a date as the previous chapter, but I just really wanted to have some classic love/hate Aleheather in the one. Mostly that despite Heather getting a revenge shot at Alejandro and him getting back at her in return to frustrate her to no end… she eventually weakened to the point of just giving into her feelings for him, including allowing him to strategically sweet talk her/trick her into seeing him again after their little makeout session in the creek and realizing she's starting to slip with him. Well, until Heather realized what she did and ended up exploding about it again once she got home… again. Ah, I have said it millions of times and I'll keep saying it, God, I love flustered/sexually frustrated Heather. Lol. XD I also hope you liked the interaction I had between Alejandro and Damien. Well, you know, until Heather broke it up, thinking Damien was going to say something to embarrass her in front of Alejandro… which he almost did. But, about what? Also, some of the points brought up in that may be brought back up again later on… just saying. Haha. ;) Anyway, in the coming chapters is probably when this is going to get bumped up to a bit more of a mature rating just to aire on the safe side as a writer. Not immediately but definitely on the horizon. Just wanted to give you all the heads up on that! Thank you all so much reading and constructive feedback is always very much appreciated as always!
> 
> Stay classy, healthy, and safe out there!
> 
> Dexter1995


	6. Tea Time (Flashback)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Again… thank you all so much! You are literally making me want to spontaneously combust from kindness! :D Seriously you guys are making me blush. I got back from a hard shift at clinic and came home to a whole bunch of amazing comments telling me I am not only doing Aleheather justice, but that my updates are making your days and also making you laugh. You all are just too kind and believe me, you say that, but you guys also seriously make my day too. Again, being a healthcare professional with putting your life on the line to help others is very hard during these times and writing and hearing from you all how much you enjoy my writing seriously makes my entire week right now. So just… thank you all so much for the kindness. :) Anyway, this is more of a mini-update/flashback chapter that I really wanted to include but just didn't want to chunk it in with something else to make the continuity confusing. So, I decided to make its own separate flashback chapter. This chapter takes place about a year and a half after the finale of Total Drama World Tour and also about a year and a half before the present events of this story and focuses on Alejandro's recovery. Now in my fanfic, Alejandro was not placed in the Drama Machine. In this instance, I'm portraying him as just going through a difficult recovery from his injuries through hospital stays and at home. Nothing against the Drama Machine and I know its a cartoon and its ridiculous to even question it, but I just wanted to go for more of a realistic approach in my story, especially for me as a healthcare professional. Haha. And let's just say it's more than just physical trauma that he's been working through. Enjoy!

_**1 year and 7 months ago** _

Alejandro was slowly waking up from a deep sleep in the guest room on the first floor of his family's residence in Ottawa.

Ever since he was hospitalized for both second and third degree burns and recovering from a broken arm, ankle, and several severely cracked/broken ribs after the season 3 finale, it was a place he had come to know quite well.

He wasn't able to be in his normal bedroom on the second floor since the stairs were still too much for him to handle, so he's been restricted to the first floor since he got home from the hospital.

Luckily due to the Burromuerto's _status_ and the network executives for _Total Drama_ wanting to avoid any and all lawsuits with _the incident_ , Alejandro had received all top of the line practices and experimental therapies and treatments money can buy as compensation and was on his way to a complete physical recovery.

However, it didn't mean that it was any _easier_ or _painless_ to recover from the physical trauma.

Even with his skin being almost completely healed over thanks to experimental skin grafting and reconstruction, his body itself was still far from his previous 100%.

As it was, he needed to use crutches still to get to and from the bathroom for balance… and because he was still too weak to make it the entire way without stopping.

And the look on his face at the moment showed that it was what he was mentally preparing himself for.

Slowly Alejandro sat up to get his bearings before wincing in slight pain as he got upright. He grit his teeth as he got his crutches in place and he stood up, suppressing a pained grunt from escaping him.

After a painstaking journey to the bathroom, he managed to get himself finished with the task and then proceeded to limp back until he saw movement out of the corner of his eye.

He glanced around the corner to see his father sitting at the dining room table with his eyes locked on a book as someone else entered the room holding what looked like a cup of tea.

It was a middle aged woman the same age as Alejandro's father and just like Alejandro's father did not look remotely close to being her true age judging by her fitness, looks, and the way she carried herself.

She had beautiful, wavy medium brown hair that brushed just past collarbone level and nearly flawless olive skin if not for a beauty mark just underneath her right eye.

It was Gerardo Burromuerto's wife of 32 years and mother to Carlos, José, and Alejandro.

_Elena Burromuerto._

She sat down across from her husband at the dining room table, her dark green eyes focused on her tea as she appeared to be in a state of deep introspective thought.

They were both quiet until Gerardo looked to his wife and inquired, "How was Alejandro today? He was still sleeping by the time I left this morning and he was already down for the evening by the time I got home."

Alejandro was quick to hide behind the corner to keep his parents from seeing him as he listened in.

Elena was finishing a sip from her cup of tea before placing it back in the saucer amd answering, sounding tired, "As well as he can be. He had his last round of therapy for his skin today and that usually takes a lot out of him. So at least that's done…"

Gerardo nodded and replied, "Very good. Although those experimental treatments have done wonders for him and his healing. He hardly looks as if anything happened to him after the fact."

Almost as if Gerardo's words were a trigger, Elena immediately grit her teeth and slammed her fist down on the table, causing the cup and saucer to rattle slightly.

He jumped back slightly at his wife's sudden action and was about to ask what was wrong until she answered his question herself as she ground out through her teeth, "I absolutely _despise_ that wretched girl..."

Gerardo paused before sighing and taking on a stressed look as he pinched the bridge of his nose to control himself, knowing she was referring to Heather… and Alejandro knew too.

And although he was staying silent, Alejandro was visibly tensing up and took on a conflicted and angry look at the mere hinting of Heather.

" _Mi amada_ …" Gerardo started, trying to avoid the conversation yet again with his wife until she cut in, but trying to keep her voice down even through her anger to avoid waking up her sons, though Alejandro was still listening unbenounced to them, "No Gerardo! I am done with you avoiding us talking about this! You act as if you are not even remotely bothered by what happened to Alejandro after what that horrid, evil little… _zorra_ has done to him. Do you even care about our son?!"

Gerardo gave his wife a look as he started, still trying to remain calm, " _Of course_ I care. He's my son and I love him very much."

"Then how are you not angry?! Our son did _nothing_ to deserve what he's being put through. If I ever see that little bruja again I am…" Elena started in her maternal tirade until Gerardo cut in, still trying to remain calm, "Elena, _mi cariña_ , we have been happily married for over 32 years and I have known you since we met when we were 17. I have always respected you for your intelligence and strength and how you stick by your opinions and ideals. And as much as I hate inciting conflict between us since we rarely argue or disagree… but I cannot allow you to say anymore on this unless you know how I feel on the subject. Because, I'm afraid to say, my dear… you are wrong. What happened to Alejandro was just as much his own fault if not _much more_ than Heather's."

Alejandro visibly locked up in shock at what his father said as Elena looked at her husband with wide shocked eyes and responded, sounding angry and confused, "Excuse me?! How am I in any way _wrong_? And how can you possibly defend _her_?!"

"I am defending no one!... All I am saying is that I am speaking from an objective standpoint, while you are speaking from a place of bias. And before you deny it, it would be wrong of you to pretend that you haven't always _favored_ Alejandro. You may love all our boys equally… but you have always had a soft spot for him." Gerardo directed, giving her a slight look.

Elena looked like she was about to say something until she stopped herself, knowing her husband had her red handed.

Because he was right.

Elena loved all 3 of her sons, but she had always felt the strongest connection to Alejandro when her boys were young and still felt that way now that they were all older.

She continued to remain silent as Gerardo sighed and said, "I'm sorry to be harsh, Elena. But I can see you know I'm right. And this doesn't just reflect on Alejandro. It refers to all of our sons too. You talk about Alejandro as if he were a young boy who had been cheated out of something unfairly out of naivety, when in reality… that is false. Alejandro was 18 when he signed up for that show and was several weeks away from turning 19 by the time it ended, as was Heather. As far as I'm concerned and though he's a young man, he was also grown up enough and made his own decisions and ended up making a lot of enemies as a result of his manipulation tactics in order to obtain the prize he wanted. Which to his credit, his strategy worked. He made it all the way to the end with the victory he sought within his grasp. But this is the key point I want you to see. You and I were fortunate enough to have been given the opportunity to produce 3 intelligent, healthy, and well rounded sons, but… that does not mean any of them are _perfect_. No one is. And Alejandro proved that the moment he stood on the edge of the volcano. Alejandro is an exceptionally intelligent young man, but unfortunately and like most young men of his age, at that moment… he was a fool."

Alejandro locked up in anger as his jaw clenched at what his father just said about him as Elena immediately looked outraged as she countered, " _What_ are you implying?!"

"Exactly what I said, Elena. I speak from experience myself. I made a fool of myself _plenty_ at his age, especially in front of you. Think about it, my dear. Alejandro was poised to strike the final blow and achieve his victory. But, he chose to stop the moment Heather arrived to taunt her and keep that victory hanging in front of her like meat in front of a starving lioness. Had Alejandro thought with logic instead of egotistic arrogance, he could have had everything! The money, the victory, the glory, and the girl… all of that could have been his had he thought about it and played his cards differently. But instead, like a fool, he decided to taunt her with her feelings, parading his arrogance, and hanging the prize just within her reach… and Heather did what she thought she had to do to win. And unfortunately showed Alejandro in the process the lesson that _taunting the hungry beast never yields good results._ " Gerardo explained as Elena cut in, still outraged, "You _are_ defending her!"

Gerardo finally snapped as he directed, "No I am not! I am only speaking the truth. Because don't tell me for a second that Alejandro was ignorant to what Heather was like. He knew Heather was just as competitive, cut-throat, and had a thirst for victory that matched his. Alejandro knew _exactly_ who he was competing against; but again, decided to be foolish and play around like a boy. _You reap what you sow_ , and Alejandro definitely experienced that phrase ten fold that day. I may feel sorry for his physical injuries and everything he's had to go through to heal from those, but I have no sympathy for his injured heart or mentality… he chose to ruin all that himself, and it's up to him to fix it."

Alejandro couldn't bring himself to listen any more in conflicted anger as he made his way back to the bedroom, feeling completely and thoroughly insulted by what his father said about him as he tried to force himself to sleep.

_**4 hours later** _

Everyone in the Burromuerto household had long since gone to sleep, except Alejandro.

After trying and failing to sleep for almost a half hour, he couldn't take it anymore as he sat himself up in bed and pulled up the finale of _Total Drama World Tour_ and watched it over, and over, and over again for hours.

He was watching it almost intensely as he kept analyzing _everything_ about _everything_. Every word, every action, and every move was being mentally noted to himself as he kept watching this for the first and only times since he experienced it in reality.

Finally he got to the portion yet again, looking at himself as almost a distant memory and shadow of his former self, standing poised at the edge of the volcano holding the mannequin in Heather's likeness above his head with a victorious grin on his face.

"Throw it… throw it…" Alejandro said in almost a frustrated mantra to himself at himself on the TV, almost like he was trying to falsely will the past to change to no avail.

Inevitably, he was reminded of how this couldn't change as he saw himself stop and look back at a breathless Heather standing behind him and leaning against the mannequin of him in his likeness.

Alejandro for almost the 30th time he watched it that night had his eyes go wide by the end of it as he was shoved off the volcano.

He paused it before leaning back, looking almost catatonic for a moment as he thought of something else.

A familiar yet still painful sing-song type voice to him at this point entered his mind tauntingly from a memory:

* * *

" _Don't try to make me feel ashamed, I know you would have done the same."_

* * *

Alejandro continued in his current state of shock until his eyes went wide as he said to himself, looking like he had some sort of revelation, "Father's right… I am a fool."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, looks like Gerardo just gave some good old fashioned tough love and cold hard truth both directly to his wife and indirectly to Alejandro. Hey, sometimes the truth hurts but it's still something you need to hear every now and then as Alejandro discovered. I also hope you liked the brief introduction to Alejandro's mother, Elena. When I envisioned Alejandro's mother and after all the times she was affectionately referenced to by Alejandro in the show, I pictured her as being a very sweet and affectionate mother to her sons, but having a specific favoritism for her youngest son in Alejandro. That and I could also see her being one vicious mother bear who will unleash hellfire and scorn on anyone who messes with her cubs, particularly if she sees you knee her favorite 'cub' in his groin before shoving him off a volcano, i.e. Heather. Even if Alejandro did have it coming… she will still want to destroy you. Now we know where José gets his temper from! Lol. XD Anyway, let's just say this is where Alejandro has one of his turning points in his feelings for Heather after having conflicting feelings about his feelings for her up until now. But, more will be elaborated on that later… ;) Anyway, thanks for reading and I hope this chapter wasn't a disappointment for those of you expecting more Aleheather. They shall return next chapter though! Promise! :) Constructive feedback is appreciated as always and hope you all are staying safe and healthy out there.
> 
> Stay Classy!
> 
> Dexter1995


	7. Limits

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> At the risk of sounding like a broken record… again, you guys all seriously rock. Just thank you so much for all the amazing feedback! I was skeptical when I posted that Alejandro flashback chapter, thinking no one would like it, and you all completely overwhelmed me with positive feedback on it and telling me how much you loved it… ya'll are seriously going to make me cry, seriously. Lol. XD But, anyway, just thanks again so much for everything! And to 'JustaFriend', don't apologize in the least for a long review! I actually prefer long reviews because it lets me know how you feel about what I've written and its always very helpful! So thanks! Anyway, WOW, this chapter I wrote cracked 8 pages on word processing so hope you are in a comfy spot. Here's more Aleheather content as promised. Hope you all enjoy! :)

**({No POV})**

Heather's mother walked out of the house and looked like she was about to lock the front door behind her until she heard a car pull into their driveway. She looked behind her just in time to see Alejandro step out of a pristine black sedan in a pair of sunglasses and his usual everyday attire, but with a small box in hand.

Though she still seemed _perplexed_ to say the least by Heather and Alejandro's _relationship,_ she couldn't deny how much she personally liked Alejandro otherwise, thinking he was practically the perfect young gentleman.

Alejandro walked up with a smile as he took off his sunglasses before greeting smoothly, "Hola Mrs. Wilson, wonderful to see you again. Is Heather home?" He immediately took her hand, holding it in a traditional manner before bowing his head respectfully to her.

She smiled immediately, looking like she melted by the flattery for a moment, before replying, "Hello Alejandro, I'm sorry but Heather's out with her agent at the moment, Damien's at his classes, and I was just about to head out myself to a committee meeting… but you're more than welcome to make yourself at home and wait in the house until Heather comes back."

Alejandro thought about the offer for a moment until it appeared as if a thought struck him internally as he accepted, "Absolutely, as long as it isn't too much trouble."

Heather's mother just smiled and said, "Of course not. Go ahead and make yourself at home. I'll just lock up behind you though if that's okay?"

"Muchas Gracias, Mrs. Wilson." Alejandro responded smoothly as he respectfully nodded his head to her one last time. She grinned at him and let him into the house and closed the door behind him.

Alejandro looked out the thin window on the side of the door to ensure Heather's mother was leaving.

Once he saw her drive away, he turned back around and looked at the stairs as a sly grin took over his face as he made his way up to the second floor.

Though he was not expecting this sort of _circumstance…_ he couldn't help himself but to take advantage.

Ever since his _chat_ with Damien, Alejandro has been completely overtaken with _curiosity_ by some of the things that were said. Sure Damien was not around to further _divulge_ anything to him, but he had an alternative plan that he thought could _suffice_ just as well.

His grin got slier by the second as he reached his desired destination.

_Heather's room._

Although Alejandro was actually honest with Heather when he said he didn't enter her room or sleep in her bed and just told her so to play around with her and have fun with it like he usually did with her; however, ever since he saw where her room was when he first came over… he couldn't help but be overtaken with curiosity.

And now with the tantalizing seeds of temptation planted in his head after his conversation with Damien, Alejandro couldn't help himself any longer.

Her door was partially closed and he smirked as he slowly nudged the door open and stepped in.

He glanced around the room, not seeing anything of significance thus far. Mauve walls, double bed with a brass bed frame and a floral patterned bedspread that matched the color of the walls, night stand with a lamp and alarm clock, desk in the corner with a laptop sitting on it.

It was actually very nice and put together, but nothing that seemed of interest to him.

It wasn't until he looked to the wall opposite that caught his eye and in turn made his eyes go wide for a moment in intrigue.

There was a bookcase, dresser, and also shelves decked out in trophies and medals… as well as several dozen pictures of Heather in competitions or just herself in general.

Alejandro smirked as he commented to himself, "Well, well… looks like we're even more _similar_ than you let on, _mi amor_."

To any other person, this display that Heather had would probably seem narcissistic and worthy of an eyeroll for being _full of oneself_ , but to Alejandro… he couldn't say anything, considering his room at his parents' house was much the same with trophies, awards, and pictures of himself in general all over the walls as well.

Also, this wall to him might as well have been a fascinating display at a fine art museum by his level of fascination and the smirk on his face as he looked on at everything.

He smiled slightly as he saw what appeared to be a school picture of Heather's, probably from when she was about 16 judging by the length of her hair before the _season 1 incident_ , as he almost affectionately touched the frame for a moment with that same slight smile on his face… until he took on a slightly cheeky and sly grin as he looked at Heather's bed again.

Alejandro walked over to it, putting the box he brought on the nightstand, before taking the opportunity of _making himself comfortable_ as he settled into the center of the bed.

Putting his arms behind his head and crossing his feet over in a relaxed state before his eyes went wide for a moment as he settled into Heather's bed and looked like he had a realization.

"Hm, her bed really is _quite_ comfortable." He commented again with a smirk, now laughing a little to himself and thinking back again to when Heather got mad at him for when he joked about sleeping in her bed and also saying it was comfortable.

Even though he only said that jokingly to get a rise out of her, he also couldn't help but chuckle to himself that perhaps that detail he expressed helped contribute to her slapping him for that.

He kept looking on at the wall from his relaxed state with a grin. His eyes scanned over everything as he noticed several other things that sparked his curiosity.

Although most of Heather's pictures of herself seemed to be of her when she was high school aged, she did have a few of herself as a child, probably ages 6 to 10… but any and all pictures of her in junior high seemed to be non-existent.

There were trophies and other awards he noticed from that time period, but absolutely _zero_ pictures which intrigued him.

He kept scanning down the wall until he noticed a _curious theme_.

So curious to him that he stood up and got closer to the wall again.

Although Heather had a variety of trophies and awards for a variety of things from sports to extracurricular clubs to pageants… her wall was absolutely overwhelmed with awards for dancing, particularly partner dancing for _The Huntington Country Club Cotillion Junior League Dance Showcase._

A showcase Heather appeared to have won year after year after year as he saw the same plaque appear in multitude on the wall. Each one contained a '1st Place' engraving as well a picture of Heather and what was clearly the same dance partner over the years.

A clean cut looking young man who was consistently a couple inches taller than Heather in each picture and quite _athletic_ in appearance as he got older. He had short medium brown hair cut in an ivy league style and light blue eyes, and definitely not completely _unattractive_ from Alejandro's perspective.

Again, curiously, the pictures of Heather from the ages of 11 to about 13 or 14 seemed to be _suspiciously_ removed from those particular plaques, he brushed the thought out of his mind as he studied the same guy in each of the plaque's pictures with Heather.

He looked below one of the more recent plaques from when Heather and this particular young man won and saw names etched below the picture:

* * *

_Presented to Miss Heather Wilson and Mister Shane Watson._

* * *

Alejandro got an intrigued look as he quirked up an eyebrow and progressively saw the _evolution_ of Heather and Shane together at this competition in the pictures as the years went on.

At first he was going to dismiss him as just a dance partner until he saw something he couldn't ignore. It was something that had nothing to do with any dance competition.

It was something that had been purely sectioned off by itself on her wall, almost like it was the _crown jewel_ of Heather's _accomplishments._

On the wall was a tiara and 'Prom Queen' pageant sash hanging next to a picture of what was clearly Heather as Prom Queen in her final year of high school, judging by the length of her hair again, but this time… she was with Shane again in the picture, him wearing a crown and a 'Prom King' sash, next to Heather.

Again, he would not have paid it much mind had he not noticed the matching corsage/boutonniere and matching color between Heather's dress and Shane's tie and vest on his tuxedo, looking like they also went to prom together as dates.

Alejandro tilted his head as his eyes almost took on a look of curiosity and intrigue mixed with almost _jealousy_ , especially when he kept looking at Shane's hands on Heather's waist and posing like any couple taking a formal prom picture together.

After looking at the picture for several more moments, he took out his phone and took a picture of Shane from the Prom picture as well as a picture of Shane's name from one of the plaques as he said to himself, looking almost serious and _determined_ , "Let's see who you are exactly, _amigo..._ "

Right when Alejandro looked like he was about to try to look him up on his phone, he caught something out of the corner of his eye on the floor partially underneath Heather's bed.

He tilted his head for a moment again and walked over before kneeling down.

It just looked like a piece of slightly crumpled paper that almost looked like it was from a magazine by it's slightly glossed texture, sticking out of a book like a bookmark. He slowly opened the book carefully as the piece of paper flipped over, causing Alejandro's eyes to widen for a moment.

It was a picture of him from a couple years ago that looked like it was ripped out of a magazine that specifically looked like one of the promotion pictures that was taken of him for season 3.

The previous expression of jealousy now seemed to be replaced by smug satisfaction at the fact that Heather had a picture of him in her possession that she appeared to have had for _a while_ from the looks of it, thinking this might have been what Damien was referring to.

He would have investigated more until he heard the front door open and close before locking again.

Alejandro was quick to put everything back in its proper place, including straightening out the bedspread, as to not arouse any suspicion just in case.

He was quick but stayed subtle as he looked around the corner outside Heather's room and looked past the railing to the downstairs from the loft and saw Heather taking off her sunglasses by the front door before kicking off her wedge sandals on the first floor.

She then proceeded to make her way to the kitchen, her usual neutral and slightly cold expression on her face as she casually brushed her hair behind her ear.

Alejandro held his usual grin as he continued to watch her, waiting for her to disappear out of sight.

He was about to follow when he had a moment of realization as he quickly retrieved the small box he brought from when he set it down on Heather's night stand in the room, giving himself a quick look over and smirk in Heather's full length mirror before he proceeded to quietly and stealthily make his way downstairs.

**(Heather's POV)**

Ugh… I can't believe it took me this long to _finally_ fire my agent.

But, whatever, it's done now.

Sure, now I kind of screwed myself over a bit by firing her and lost a lot of my connections to get my own show now, but… ugh, whatever.

She sucked at her job anyway. And I'd rather be at square one than be stuck with that useless excuse of a human being.

I got out a glass from the cabinet and filled it with water from the spigot in the sink.

Closing my eyes as I slowly took a sip until I froze mid-sip and my eyes sprung open when I felt something wrap around my waist and something warm and _solid_ against my back. Feeling lips next to my ear as I heard a familiar low tempting voice say, "Hola, _mi ángel_."

Right when he kissed the side of my neck, I immediately spat out my water and dropped the glass, causing it to shatter in the sink. I instantly and violently shoved him off and scrambled away from him.

I stared at him completely freaked out before I knit my eyebrows together and spat in rage, "What the HELL, Alejandro?!"

All he did was lean against the island counter with a grin on his face as he crossed his arms and said, laughing a little to himself, "Lo siento, _mi cariña_. But, it was just too _tempting..._ And can you blame me? You just looked so beautiful and serene, I didn't want to _completely_ disturb you."

"Well, if your goal was to freak the crap out of me by attempting to feel me up, then 'congrats'! _Mission accomplished_ , you creep! Speaking of… HOW THE HELL DID YOU EVEN GET IN HERE?! The door was locked!" I spat, annoyed and still entirely freaked out by _whatever that was?!_

Alejandro just shrugged with that grin still on his face, making me want to punch him again out of annoyed frustration as he replied, "Your mother left a little while ago and said I could make myself at home while I waited for you. So, I took the liberty of taking a little _siesta_ on the couch and then after I came out of the bathroom off the dining room, I saw you were back and… well, you are aware of the rest, are you not?"

I could feel my frustration building like I was having an aneurysm as he kept giving me that cocky grin with that _look_ in his eye.

I looked at the clock and realized the time and kept getting increasingly more frustrated as I just exasperated and walked over to Alejandro and grabbed him by the back of his shirt and started pulling him behind me as I strained out, "Come on, _Don Juan_ _Creep-wad!"_

He let out a 'hey!' but I wasn't listening as I started pulling him along with me upstairs to my room before pushing him in and closing the door behind us.

Damien was coming home from his classes soon and there was not a snowflake's chance in HELL that I was going to let him see me with Alejandro in the middle of the kitchen and make some smart ass remark about it.

Just as I closed the door behind us, I heard Alejandro immediately remark, playful and _completely_ teasing, "You know? Not that I am _complaining_ at all, but this is rather _forward_ of you to drag me up to your room like this, wouldn't you say Heather?"

He started chuckling to himself as I whipped my head around to see him looking at me with that smug grin on his face, making me knit my eyebrows together as I pointed at him with my right index finger before directing, "Shut up! Just tell me what the hell you want and leave me alone already?!"

I could tell I sounded as frustrated and flustered as I felt right now but I just wanted him to say whatever stupid thing he had to say before kicking him out for the sake of my sanity.

"Now Heather, there's no need for _hostility_. Especially when I come bearing gifts." He rationalized and I was about to snap at him about what he was even talking about until I saw him reach behind his back.

He pulled out what looked like a small box as he walked up to me and held it out as he said, "I know your birthday isn't until tomorrow, but since I have previous _engagements_ to help my father with in Toronto… Feliz cumpleaños, chica."

My eyes went wide in shock as I said, my words just flying out, "You got me a birthday present?"

Well, until I realized what I was doing and _who_ I was talking to as I said, sounding completely hesitant and narrowing my eyes at him, "Wait, what's the catch here? I'm not indentured to serve you forever after I accept this or something, am I?"

He just grinned, looking amused, before responding, "No catch. Well, except that I'd like to see you wear it."

I was about to continue to question him since I didn't trust any part of Alejandro doing this right now until I took the box and opened it before my eyes went wide and my mouth fell open slightly in shock.

_Is he serious right now?..._

It was a white gold, diamond line tennis bracelet.

I picked it up out of the box and felt like smacking myself for looking like this with him watching me but… C'MON! He's seriously just giving me a diamond line tennis bracelet?!

_Okay, there seriously has to be a catch now… no idea but I'm assuming I'll have to sell my soul to him or something probably._

"It's just something small. When I found out your birthday was exactly a month after mine to date recently, I decided to take the liberty of getting you _a little something._ Although I did make a special _request_ of the jeweler to make a slight _modification_. The clasp seemed _much_ too dull and gave it no distinction, so I had them add a little something. And also to give you something to make you think of me when you see it. If I may?" He started, and took the bracelet from me before unclasping it and putting it on my left wrist.

"And why the hell would I want anything that would remind me of?..." My eyes went wide as I saw what he meant as he turned the bracelet over to reveal the modified clasp.

The clasp was fitted with a piece that was almost like an embedded charm and looked _exactly_ like the longhorn pendant on his necklace, only on a smaller scale.

I had no idea what was going on with me as I practically felt hypnotized by it in shock at the moment until I heard him say, "It does rather suit you quite well, if I do say so myself…"

He pressed his lips to my hand at that moment and it was like I snapped out of a trance as I felt like I got myself back together and said, ripped my hand away immediately, "Now wait just a second here! You _seriously_ expect me to believe that you're just going to give me this diamond line tennis bracelet, that looks like it's anywhere in the range of a thousand dollars at a _very_ bare minimum, no strings attached? Seriously, what are you trying to _play at_ with me right now?!"

At that moment he put a hand over his heart, already giving me the usual impression that he's totally full of crap, and then confirming that to me as he said, "Heather, what makes you even think that I have an ulterior motive behind this?"

I gave him a look as I crossed my arms and said, scoffing and rolling my eyes, "Seriously?! _Ugh_ , you are so full of… "

I was about to turn and walk out when he grabbed my hand again as I heard him say, his tone surprisingly calm, "Heather."

As much as I resisted, I almost wished I didn't let myself look when I finally glanced back only to be pretty much trapped by him making direct eye contact with me.

_Don't do it, Heather… DON'T OR SO HELP ME?! He makes you weak... AND YOU KNOW IT! You know what he's like, so stop falling for his bull!..._

My thoughts were completely cut off as he put his free hand on the side of my face.

Everything in my entire being was pretty much screaming at me again just like a couple nights ago on our date. I was going to pull back from him when he brushed his thumb against my cheek and my mind just became an empty void as his green eyes kept practically locking me in with every passing second.

At first I thought he was going to kiss me, until he said lowly, "Just believe me, Heather…"

This time I _really_ thought he was going to kiss me _again_ until he completely bypassed me as he leaned in, almost _frustrating_ and teasing me to completion, as he put his lips to my ear and continued in that same low tone from earlier, "Has it ever occurred to you that _you_ are worth doing something like this for to me? I thought what happened between us last Saturday would have made you see that?"

_Get a grip, Heather! Don't just let him 'sweet talk' you like this! That's how you've gotten caught up in this craptastic vortex from hell with him in the first place... Take charge!_

I swallowed hard, trying _so_ damn hard to get a grip, as I retorted, "What? You mean when you tossed me in the creek... _jerk_?"

But I knew I was screwed on that from the start since no matter what, my words didn't come out with my usual power and feeling behind them.

And it also didn't help when I heard him continue, almost seductively calling me out on refusing to acknowledge when we made out in the creek, "You know _exactly_ what I'm talking about, Heather…"

Almost immediately I felt his teeth teasingly graze my earlobe slightly as I bit my lip, trying to hold everything in even though I felt like I was _this close_ to seriously losing it.

 _Just… UGH! I hate him,_ especially _when he does something like this to me._

"Because I will be honest if you won't. You _really_ are an _excellent_ kisser… and everything I _felt_ from you, I knew you could _feel_ from me too. And believe me, the thought of it has not left my mind since it happened."

I grit my teeth and looked away before trying to fight back from everything I was feeling, as I attempted to pull back and scoff before commenting, "Ugh, _barf_."

He kept his tone low as he said, me hearing the temptation just _oozing_ out of his voice alone and also _completely_ seeing through me, making that warm turning feeling comeback in my stomach, " _Perhaps_ a reminder is needed to recall the mutual _feeling…"_

My eyes went wide for a second as he leaned down to my neck and pressed his lips lightly and almost painfully teasing against my skin, doing the same at the corner of jaw before finally working his way up to my lips, going slow and almost tender against my lips.

Until my eyes progressively closed as he moved his lips over mine and I felt like jumping out of my body and beating the ever living crap out of myself when I started doing the exact same back at him.

It wasn't until I felt his other hand get removed from my hand and try to pull me close that I _somehow_ was able to get a grip.

Quickly, I pulled back before shoving him away and trying to get _the hell_ out of there in an attempt to get control over myself. But right when I reached for the door handle and was starting to open it to just run like a bat out of the gates of hell, his hand went over mine on the door handle, his grip firm but also gentle.

" _Dammit_ , why won't you just leave me alo-…" I started to get out in frustration through my teeth only to feel his other arm slowly snake around my waist.

I was expecting him to make some kind of teasing, arrogant remark until I was _actually_ surprised to just see his hand slowly slip my hand off the door handle as the door started opening in on its own as a result.

I would have cared about it being open if it wasn't for feeling his other hand slowly smoothing its way up my right arm as he held me against him from behind as I continued to suppress anything and everything I was feeling.

Once he got to the top of my shoulder, his hand left me for only a brief second until I felt him grab my chin and turn my head to the side only to be face to face with him again.

His eyes were hooded but still somehow focused on me until they closed again on contact as he kissed me again, moving his lips over mine as he turned me so my back was against a wall and slid both my hands up to his shoulders before he put his hands on my sides, slowly and almost teasingly smoothing them up and down as I let out a sigh.

_Agh, why does he have to be like this… and why am I like this?! WHAT is wrong with me?!_

My self-control was pretty much completely slipping away as I wrapped my arms around his neck and I leaned more into him, hearing him sigh back as he pulled me closer and only made me want him more.

 _Heather stop! STOP IT! What the hell do you think you're doing?! This is Alejandro!_ The _Alejandro that totally screwed you over and single-handedly got you eliminated a few months ago. Are you seriously going to let him just?!…_

My thoughts stopped again when I felt his tongue skirt slowly along my bottom lip and I didn't even hesitate as I parted my lips and practically just let him do whatever he wanted… and ended up completely reciprocating it, making my eyes roll back when I felt him deepen the kiss and let out a long drawn out sigh through his nose.

But as disgusted with myself as I am right now, at this point… _dammit_ I was _not_ about to let him think he was the only one who had any leverage right now.

Slowly, I smoothed my hands down his chest and abdomen before smoothing them just as teasingly back up, hearing him let out a slight groan as he breathed out my name under his breath and making me smirk internally.

_Ha! See? You're not the only one who can..._

Right at that moment, I felt his left hand drift below my waist and over the side of my hip before smoothing down my thigh, making a shiver travel down my spine as I let out a _very_ obvious sigh.

_You disgust me, Heather. You're pathetic. You… Oh, whatever…_

I just shrugged it off practically and wrapped my arms around his neck again until both of us froze up when we heard, "Will the obnoxious couple sucking face at the end of the hall _please_ have the human decency to shut their damn door… and preferably lock it?"

My whole body locked up and my head turned robotically turned to see Damien.

He just gave us an annoyed and grossed out look as he said, his tone oozing with annoyed sarcasm, "Oh, _please,_ don't stop on my account. It's not like I didn't _want_ to spend the rest of my life pouring bleach directly into my head so it doesn't line the insides of my nightmares for all eternity."

Slowly, once the embarrassment that made me feel like I wanted to die inside wore off, I could feel my blood start to boil as my jaw locked up and all my teeth felt like they were going to shatter.

My limit was being reached as I strained out in pure anger, " _You…_ You… annoying... insufferable… little… _shit…_ "

I know I've said it many times to Damien growing up, but this time… _He's seriously dead._

I shoved Alejandro off me and immediately just charged at Damien and he bolted away from me instantly. I almost got him too until he ran into his room and slammed his door to his room shut and locked it before I could get him.

But that didn't stop me from banging my fist on the door a few times as I snarled, practically warranting the most serious death threat I've ever give him… and to Damien there have been _many_ from me, "Listen to me, you stupid little perv! You better always be keeping one of your damn eyes open from now on, because _you_ are SO _dead!"_

"I'd like to see you try, Heather! What is this? Like 'death threat 20 million' from you to me now?" He taunted back through the door, making me completely lose it again as I exasperated before slamming my fist on the door one more time before yelling, simple but to the point, "Just go to hell, Damien!"

"Whatever…" He responded unimpressed before laughing as I felt like I was going to blow another gasket.

And I was close until I felt something grab my hand as I heard that familiar calm and smooth tone say, "Heather?"

_Crap… I totally blacked out on the fact he was still here._

He brushed his thumb over the back of my hand, almost like he was trying to _calm me down_ or something.

I could feel my heart rate slow down but my heart beat becoming more intense, slowly pounding against my chest. But, I grit my teeth and ripped my hand away before grabbing him by the elbow and pulling him along with me down the stairs almost urgently.

Just feeling… _done._

I tried not to think even though all he kept doing was asking me what was going on and what I was doing.

But, I hardly responded as I opened the door and pushed him out as I said, "And don't come back before Saturday!"

"Qué?" I heard him let out, sounding totally confused about what just happened as I slammed the front door and locked it without a second thought as my only defense.

_But...UGH! WHATEVER?!_

I pressed my back against the door pinching the bridge of my nose with my pointer finger and thumb on my right hand in an attempt to pull myself together.

_Although…_

As much as I tried to resist, my curiosity eventually got the best of me as I looked out the side window and saw Alejandro slowly walking back to his car, running a hand through his hair and looking confused as all get out about _whatever the hell just happened_?

I backed away and pressed my back to the door again, pressing my hands against my face, feeling like I was literally losing it.

_Dammit… I don't know how much longer I can do this?_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, well… is that ice or does it look like Heather's slowly but surely starting to crack like Alejandro was thinking? And c'mon! You knew something was going to happen to totally ruin the moment (*proceeds to hide behind desk and await angry Aleheather fans to throw virtual tomatoes at her*). Lol. XD But, I just really wanted to make sure I had this progression down, particularly with Heather. Heather is not the type of girl to just throw herself at guys and go boy crazy… which was why her attraction to Alejandro has always been interesting to me! Because her having feelings for Alejandro shows that despite Heather still being her cold, snippy, and rude as all get out self… she is capable of having a softer side with her romantic feelings for Alejandro. I think we all remember the "Newf Kids on the Rock" confessional incident where she had her moment of weakness openly letting herself swoon over Alejandro only to immediately snap herself out of it and try to rip out and destroy the tape. That's right, we see you Heather. Lol. XD And also because I have wanted to write a scene like this for them for a while, so I hope I did Heather's conflictions justice for how she dealt with her physical attraction and feelings with Alejandro. But, it looked like Heather isn't the only one showing signs of cracking in certain senses. By the way, I also hope you liked how I portrayed Heather's room. Heather may be my favorite character, but let's face it since as much as she gives Alejandro crap for being arrogant and full of himself… she's just as full of herself too. That and to me, she totally seemed like the kind of person who would have pictures of herself obnoxiously all over her room, as seen in her doing the 'Loser Gwen Show' and you can see she had a picture of herself in her room. Speaking of, if you've been a long time and hardcore Heather fan for as long as I have, you may have noticed something I hinted to from her profile through her pictures that she would hate anyone, particularly Alejandro, to find out. Also, it looks like Alejandro is interested in finding out more about Heather… and seemed 'jealous' of a certain someone from her past. Again, all will be revealed later! Thanks again so much for reading and constructive feedback is always welcome.
> 
> Stay classy, healthy, and safe everyone!
> 
> Dexter1995


	8. Conflictions (Brief Flashback)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright everyone! Again, many many thanks on the AMAZING feedback from the previous chapter! I'm so glad you all seemed to enjoy everything from Alejandro snooping around Heather's room to Heather being emotionally tested in more ways than one. And even that many of you seemed interested in something I included in particular (i.e. Shane), but more on that later. ;) This chapter will be much shorter than the previous one and start with a brief flashback followed by a continuation of the story the day after Heather and Alejandro's makeout session in her room. Enjoy!

_**2 and a half years ago** _

Heather walked into the kitchen at her parents house and proceeded to walk over to get her mineral water out of the fridge after doing her usual evening workout in the basement.

She cracked it open and immediately took a sip, hearing the TV going in the living room adjacent to the kitchen.

She looked like she was closing her eyes and taking a deep breath after her cool down until her eyes shot open when she heard what she knew definitively as the _Celebrity Manhunt_ theme, making her tense up.

Heather immediately strutted over to the living room and saw Damien passed out on the couch with his mouth hanging open in his school basketball warm ups.

She was in mid-eyeroll at her brother until she heard a familiar voice that might as well have been nails on a chalkboard to her from the TV, "Good evening and welcome to _Celebrity Manhunt!_ I'm Blaineley and with Josh out tonight, I will be your solo host with most to bring you _all_ the latest drama."

" _Yeah_ , the host with the 'most annoyance'." Heather scoffed under breath in annoyance as she fully rolled her eyes, clearly still showing her absolute disdain for Blaineley in full force.

Heather looked like was going to shut it off as she grabbed the remote and turned it toward the TV until she froze when she heard Blaineley continue as a picture of Alejandro from when he started on season 3 came up next to her on screen, "Speaking of drama, looks like the drama continues for a certain _Total Drama_ star. Season 3 finalist and everyone's favorite devious Spanish heartthrob, Alejandro Burromuerto, was finally released earlier today from a _grueling_ 6 month hospital stay recovering from _multiple_ severe burns and _numerous_ broken bones. And according to sources, doctors say he's going to make a complete physical recovery. But so far from a picture released today, that 'recovery' still looks quite a long way off if you ask me. Yikes! And I thought what I went through on that show was bad."

Heather completely stopped listening to Blaineley and her eyes went wide as a new picture of Alejandro showed up on screen.

Her whole demeanor visibly tensed up as she almost didn't believe who she was even seeing in front of her, almost looking like she was in a state of shock.

The Alejandro she was looking at looked _nothing_ like the Alejandro she remembered from the last time she saw him.

In the picture, he was in a wheelchair being rolled out of the hospital by a random hospital transport employee, dressed _extremely_ casual in sweatpants and a winter coat as February still had the entirety of Ontario in a full blown icy winter.

But, that was only the tip of the iceberg as it all looked like it was just a nose dive _downhill_ from there for him, at least by comparison to 'the Alejandro' from before the _incident_.

The suave confidence and energy about him that he had prior looked as if it had never existed, almost like a distant memory. His face was almost lifeless and still looked like it had patches of skin still in the process of healing on his neck and cheek judging by the bandages covering those particular places.

Even his usual striking and vibrant green eyes were practically as lifeless looking as the rest of him as he appeared to be spacing out in some random direction in front of him.

His hair that got singed off in the incident was now growing back, but it was cut in almost a buzz fade now to keep his hair growth at consistent length and making him look almost like a completely different person by the hair alone.

Heather didn't even realize that she had reached up to her own head in that moment, almost as if to confirm that her own hair had grown back after _years_ of trying to grow it back out again.

She shook her head and scrunched her eyes shut as she shut off the TV without a second thought.

It took a moment as Heather spaced off in a random direction before setting the remote back down and immediately turned on her heels before strutting off, making her way upstairs to the bathroom her and Damien shared.

She immediately made a b-line for the sink and started almost intensely splashing water on her face for several moments before slamming her hands down on the vanity counter.

The sink continued to run, nearly covering up a heavy and strained sigh from Heather.

Her eyes were scrunched shut again as she attempted to dig her nails into the counter as she let out while looking down into the sink still, sounding stressed and strained through her teeth, " _Dammit…"_

_**Present day** _

Alejandro was looking at the address he wrote down earlier that day at lunch after helping recieve some acquaintances of his father's at the airport before helping them get to their hotel in Toronto.

Even though it was clear that _what happened_ at Heather's the day before was clearly still wracking his brain, he was determined to push it back for now since as far as he was concerned… he had _other fish to fry_.

And finding _the fish_ ended up not being as difficult as he had imagined.

In fact, it was ridiculously easy.

Ever since seeing the pictures of Heather and Shane together yesterday on the wall in Heather's room, Alejandro couldn't shake the curiosity out of his mind.

While Alejandro knew Heather probably better than most, he also couldn't deny that so much about her was a complete mystery to him.

Aside from telling him about her learning how to dance and how awful her father was at dancing on their initial date, she has yet to tell him anything else about herself.

Not that he was necessarily an open book by any stretch, but Heather was practically a steel trap by comparison.

And since Heather was _far_ from divulging more about herself to him, he thought an _outside source_ would be the next best thing.

"2480 Harewood Place." He read to himself from the address and looked up only to see _exactly_ who he was looking for standing in the driveway of the address he had, looking like he was waxing a pretty expensive looking red convertible.

It was a pretty warm fall day, as the particular person of interest was wearing a white v-neck shirt and a pair of dark blue Bermuda shorts with a pair of flip flops.

Although he now had a pretty cleaned up 5 O'clock shadow look and a subtle yet becoming looking pair of mens glasses, Alejandro was positive he was _exactly_ who he was looking for since he otherwise hadn't changed much since his final year of high school.

_Shane Watson._

He was still surprised by how easy it was to find him, especially considering he still lived at his parents' house that was only a 15 minute drive from Heather's across town.

Although, it almost still looked like the same neighborhood to Alejandro since it was clear that Heather's hometown was quite the _well off_ community to say the least.

As much as Alejandro wanted to immediately get out of the car, he couldn't help himself from just continuing to sit there and almost _study_ Shane as that clear look of _intrigued jealousy_ took him over again like yesterday.

He just had no idea what to think of Shane.

Sure he and Heather most likely had a _history_ of some kind after the nearly 10 years of partner dancing awards going all the way from when they were 8 to 18 years old on Heather's wall.

And of course that they went to Prom and even won Prom King and Queen at their local high school together also held a _high_ level of significance as far as Alejandro was concerned.

But… who was he?

Was he just a dance partner/classmate? Or _more_?

Perhaps an ex-boyfriend?

From 'looks' alone to Alejandro, Shane _definitely_ seemed like the kind of guy a girl like Heather would date, putting Heather's _personality_ aside.

But, Shane definitely fit the bill for looks.

Very put together, good-looking, athletic, and from all the pictures he's seen definitely looked like he had a sense of how to dress himself for the occasion.

Not as much as Alejandro thought in regards to himself by comparison, of course.

But… Shane was definitely a point of _fascination_ to Alejandro as far as his previous _affiliation_ with Heather was concerned.

Slowly, Alejandro stepped out of and locked his car as he started making his way over to Shane in his parent's driveway. Shane seemed much too preoccupied with his car and the radio playing near him to even remotely notice Alejandro standing several feet behind him.

It also wasn't until now that Alejandro realized how tall Shane actually was.

Not that Alejandro at 6 feet considered himself even remotely short, but it was like he kept forgetting that Heather herself was actually quite tall as well since she was only about a little less than an inch shorter than him in heels or her usual wedge sandals.

But, Shane was actually a pretty tall guy.

Probably 6'3" or even 6'4" by an estimate and had a proportionate lean yet athletic build to match.

Alejandro looked like he was taking a moment to figure out how to approach this situation with Shane. He had no idea who Shane was or what he was even remotely like?

Especially with keeping Heather in mind…

So, Alejandro decided to just smoothly approach the situation as he inquired, "Excuse me, Shane Watson?"

Alejandro's eyes went wide as Shane blindly and matter of factly responded in a tone of voice _much_ deeper than Alejandro was expecting, "I already have a religion and I don't have any cash on me to donate to you."

Alejandro quirked up an eyebrow, but then seemed amused that Shane was thinking he was some door to door missionary trying to recruit him to a faith or some person trying to solicit money for a cause, assuming those were things that happened to him on a regular basis by the way he responded.

"Oh no, _amigo_. You seem to misunderstand. _I_ am not looking to convince or ask anything of you. Well, unless if you count just lending me some moments of your time?" Alejandro interjected smoothly.

Shane finally turned to face Alejandro, still holding the cloth and wax in hand as he responded, sounding confused and mildly annoyed, "Look, what are you even…"

Shane stopped abruptly as he saw Alejandro standing there with his arms crossed, giving Alejandro a curious look as he tilted his head.

Then in an instant it looked like Shane was having a moment of recognition as he started, "Wait, aren't you?..."

"You know, as much as I would absolutely be _delighted_ to talk to you about myself, quite frankly I'm _much_ more interested in talking about you, particularly about a _certain facet_ of you." Alejandro interrupted, knowing _exactly_ where Shane was about to take the conversation and immediately put a stop to it, not wanting to discuss _what happened in season 3_ again if he could help it.

Shane's whole expression was now twisted in confusion and slight intrigue as he put down what was in his hands and asked, being very straightforward as he crossed his arms back at Alejandro, "And why would you even want to talk to me anyway? And about what?"

Alejandro took a slight step forward as he responded in exactly the same tone, "I would like to talk to you about Heather Wilson."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Again, sorry to totally troll you guys here by leaving you off on a cliff hanger after a short chapter, but this was the only way I could break it up to keep the flow of the story going and put everything exactly where I want it. I know Heather's Flashback wasn't as interesting or in depth as Alejandro's was, but I just really wanted to show a snippet of how what happened to what happened to Alejandro really hit her. Sure, Heather may be a cold and manipulative schemer but she's still a human being and I could see her after a period of time feeling a level of guilt over what ended up happening to Alejandro. Again, I feel like all I do is keep dissing All-Stars and I apologize, but... WHY THE HELL DID THEY NOT PROPERLY BRING UP HEATHER AND ALEJANDRO'S 'REAL' BAD BLOOD FROM THE HAWAIIAN FINALE?! Heather literally kneed Alejandro in the crotch and shoved him off a F###ING VOLCANO after he proclaimed his love for her and kissed her and Alejandro was just talking about being stuck in the robot suit and how Heather never texted him?! That could have been such a good and dramatic development if they properly let Alejandro and Heather kind of have it out with each other over all the terrible things they did to each other before coming to grips with the fact that they were meant to be together! GAH! DX Okay, sorry, I'm done ranting. Lol. Also, looks like Alejandro couldn't help himself from tracking down Shane in an attempt to try to learn more about Heather. I'll leave you guys to make your predictions and give your opinions of what you think so far on my first introduction to Shane as a character. ;) Anyway, thank you all so much for reading and constructive reviews are appreciated as always.
> 
> Stay healthy, safe, and classy!
> 
> Dexter1995


	9. Divulgement

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ***  
> *Content disclaimers/announcement*: Fair warning! This chapter will be the last one with this story listed under a T-rating! Once the next update is posted, this fanfic will switch over to an M-rating for content purposes. So in case you are not interested in reading that sort of more maturely geared content, then please enjoy chapters 1-9 and please refrain from writing comments saying you weren't warned. Because this is your last warning in that regard. Also, a portion of this chapter contains a scene involving bullying and the use of some slight homophobic and body shaming slurs. Just wanted to warn ahead of time if that may be triggering to any of you. Thank you!  
> ***  
> Okay! Now that the overt disclaimer is over, let's get on with something more interesting! This chapter is my longest one yet and involves TONS of expositional dialogue so I hope you got your reading necessities to buckle down for a wordy chapter! Haha. Seriously, I have never written a chapter this lengthy in all my time of writing but there wasn't much way around it. As expected this is a conversation between Alejandro and Shane. And mostly involving Shane sharing his past with Heather. Though what that past entails… you'll just have to read on to find out! ;) Anyway, hope you all enjoy!

**({No POV})**

Alejandro was pacing casually around the back patio in Shane's parents backyard, waiting.

After telling Shane he wanted to talk about Heather, Shane went quiet for several moments with a very strange, conflicted, yet almost _thoughtful_ look on his face and rubbed the back of his neck before just telling Alejandro to wait in his backyard and to give him ten minutes.

As slightly _cryptic_ and _mysterious_ as he found the request… as well as Shane's _reaction_ , Alejandro decided to _indulge the request_ as he kept looking around the backyard.

A fairly sizable in-ground pool with a small waterfall apparatus, stone fire pit and patio combination with a very nice conversation set around it… definitely showing how _well off_ Shane's family was.

Alejandro was still observing his surroundings until he heard the back glass sliding door open and quirking up an eyebrow in curiosity upon seeing Shane walk out with a box under his right arm before closing the door behind him with his left.

Shane walked past Alejandro as he said, waving him on, "Follow me."

Alejandro remained slightly skeptical but decided to respond to the request. They got to the conversation set as Shane set down the box and took a seat on one of the chairs before starting to rummage through the box.

All Alejandro did was just kept observing until Shane glanced up at him and said, motioning to the chair adjacent to him, "You can sit, you know?"

Alejandro hesitated before slowly taking a seat as he just kept watching Shane until he leaned back and quirked up an eyebrow again when Shane took out 2 beer bottles from the box and held one out to Alejandro, clearly offering him a beer.

"Oh, no thank you. I'm not really much of a _beer connoisseur_." Alejandro said while holding up a hand, declining the offer and because he didn't really like beer much based on his personal preference.

Well, until Shane quirked up an eyebrow and responded, "Sure about that? We _are_ going to be talking about Heather here, right?"

Alejandro debated for a moment until he looked like he succumbed to the offer and took it as he grabbed the bottle and proceeded to crack it open, thinking _any_ drink couldn't hurt depending on how this _conversation_ was going to go.

Shane did the same before holding out his bottle toward Alejandro before he reacted on instinct. Alejandro did the same social gesture before clinking their bottles before saying, almost sounding ironic, " _Salude._ " "Cheers." Shane responded, still keeping an even and opaque expression about him.

They both took a drink before setting their bottles down as Shane leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees and folding his hands as he started, just getting right to the point, "So… what _exactly_ do you want to know?"

Alejandro looked like he was debating for a second before he did the same gesture as Shane and decided to just go for it, considering this was pretty much the whole reason he came here, "Well, the other day, I saw _quite a few_ pictures of you and Heather, one of which in particular _caught my interest_. Now, I will not be _coy_ with this and hope we can keep this from just _one gentleman to another_ , but… is Heather by any chance an _ex_ of yours?"

Almost immediately, and catching Alejandro slightly off guard, Shane just started laughing to himself. Alejandro didn't know whether to be confused or slightly offended by Shane's immediate response to his question until Shane finally cut in as he said, "Sorry man, but you've gotta be kidding? _Trust me_ , not a chance would I have _ever_ wanted to actually date Heather."

It was clear that this somehow strangely struck a chord with Alejandro as he narrowed his eyes at Shane, almost taking what he said as a personal insult to himself, as he stood up with his fists clenched.

Shane caught this as he put his hands up and stopped laughing as he said, "Hey, whoa, take it easy there _compadre_. Just... just let me explain."

Alejandro gave Shane a skeptical look, but in the end took a seat and narrowed his eyes at Shane before taking a seat and crossing his arms and legs before responding, sounding a bit guarded and slightly offended still, "Very well then. Proceed, _amigo_."

It was quiet for several moments as Shane slowly rubbed his hands together out of some nervous habit, biting his lip for a second before saying, "Well… _yeah_ , about that. Explaining my _connection,_ or whatever you want to call it, to Heather is kind of a long story and… _complicated_."

Alejandro continued his serious demeanor toward Shane as he responded plainly, "Try me."

Shane wrung his hands a little bit and looked like he was _really_ trying to find the words to start. "Okay, well, I guess I should start with _the obvious_ on how I even met Heather in the first place. So… alright, I moved here from suburban Vancouver when I was 6 a little before I started grade 1 when my dad decided to relocate his company to be closer to family in the Toronto area. I was an only child at the time until my little sister was born when I was 8. And at the time I had crippling social anxiety and I also had no friends when we moved so when my parents joined the country club here, they found out the country club had a cotillion junior league group that was coed. So, they decided to sign me up since 6 was the minimum age to join to try and help me make friends and get over my social anxiety. And I still remember that day to a 'T'. My mom pretty much had to drag me out of the house kicking and screaming since I did _not_ want to go. All she kept telling me was it would be _good for me_ , but I still was _not_ having any part of it. Especially when I found out once we got there that they were going to pair us up day 1 with girls and start teaching us how to dance as one of the lessons. Now as a 6 year old boy told to dance with a girl when I still thought girls were gross and people in general freaked me out... I seriously wanted someone to just kill me at that point. They lined us up on opposite sides of the room and my mom eventually got me to sit with the other boys in one of the chairs lined up on the boys side. Once everyone in our age group was there, our instructor Mrs. Perez, started to pair us up alphabetically. And since my last name was the last one in the alphabet for the boys, it was a _long_ and _painful_ wait until she finally called my name and then the name of the girl I got paired with."

Alejandro tilted his head and leaned forward, fully prepared to continue listening to what else Shane had to say, despite the identity of said individual being _blatantly_ obvious.

It was like Alejandro was taken completely off guard when he saw Shane grin a little for a moment as he said, "Well, anyway, once my name was called up, I heard the name 'Heather Wilson' get read off right after mine. All I'd been doing was stare at the floor trying to avoid making eye contact with everyone until I finally stood up and looked in front of me, and that was the first time I met Heather. Right when I saw her, I froze up for a completely different reason. All I saw was this cute 6 year old girl with her black hair tied back in a ponytail, a light pink sleeveless blouse, and a white skirt hop up from her chair across the room… and I _immediately_ had a crush on her. She wasn't even smiling like I was so I thought maybe she didn't want to be there either, and I was _actually_ excited. I felt like I had no idea what was going on since all I wanted to do was talk to her and try to be friends with her. Once we both met halfway and shook hands like we were told to do, I smiled more than I ever had in my whole life up until that point. Then we were instructed on how to get in first position and to 6 year old me that might as well have been me asking her to be my girlfriend since that was my first time ever pretty much holding hands with a girl. I looked at her and finally decided to say something since she hadn't said anything to me yet, and I was so proud of myself when I got out ' _Hi, I'm Shane._ ' without stuttering… and then she spoke to me. And what she said to me is something I won't forget until I'm dead. She immediately narrowed her eyes at me as she said, sounding _dead serious_ for a 6 year old _,_ ' _I don't care who you are. Just know that if you_ ever _step on my feet, I'll make you sorry_.' And just like that, my first crush on a girl was over and dead in less than a minute and I had never been more terrified of any person ever in my life until that moment."

Almost as emphasis, Shane took another swig of his beer at the mere memory of it.

Meanwhile, Alejandro's eyes widened in intrigue at _everything_ Shane just told him about the first time he met Heather. While not the story he had necessarily been expecting, it was one that definitely sounded like it made sense.

"Well, that _definitely_ sounds like Heather." Alejandro commented off-handedly, even though a part of him couldn't help but imagine in amusement a 6 year old Heather pretty much threatening and terrifying a 6 year old Shane.

Well, until a new thought seemed to strike Alejandro as he asked, "So… Heather's always been _the way she is_ then?"

Shane sputtered a bit for a second in a slight scoff-like laugh as he said, sounding nothing but straight up honest, " _Oh yeah_. Trust me, for as long as I've known Heather, she's pretty much _always_ been _the way she is_ for the most part. Even when you see her smile or look happy about something and wonder if that's her _real 'happy'_. Believe me, that's really _her 'happy'_ , she's just a bitch."

As much as Alejandro felt the need to say something after what Shane just said about Heather, he logically knew he couldn't. Because Alejandro knew as well as anyone what Shane, and even Damien, meant when they describe Heather's personality and behavior.

But, to Alejandro, there _had_ to have been more to it… Alejandro leaned forward as he inquired out loud, "So, there really isn't more to it when it comes to _how she is_? Nothing else?"

Shane shrugged but looked thoughtful for a moment before elaborating, biting his lip for a second, "Well, not exactly… or not entirely. Anyway, I seriously was terrified of Heather for those first 2 years and every time we danced together, it was like nothing I did was ever good enough for her as her dance partner. If I had to describe what it was like being Heather's dance partner for 12 years… it was like being in some _nagging, 'yes-dear' marriage_ that I somehow got tricked into signing up for. No joke, the guys in our group at cotillion even called her my 'wife' when referring to her as a joke to mess with me since all she did was nag at me about _every damn thing_ I did. When we were still little and she'd just be _on me_ , sometimes she almost made me want to quit because of how critical she was of everything I did, even though I really never did anything wrong. But… I didn't. Mostly because, I _actually_ ended up really liking taking dance lessons at cotillion. I was still struggling with my anxiety big time but when I was dancing and even though I had to dance with Heather; for once, I felt _calm… confident_. And I was actually the best out of every boy in our group at cotillion. Even with Heather telling me everything I was apparently doing ' _wrong'_ since she was _little miss_ _prima ballerina_ in her ballet class and to her credit was also by far the best overall dancer in our cotillion group, but I didn't care. I always kept wanting to come back and keep proving to her that I could be just as good as she was. And once we were 8, Heather and I both finally agreed on something since we wanted to do since we were finally old enough to compete in the dance showcase… and we actually won. Well you know Heather, she'll do anything where she can win something and be the center of attention, but… I just wanted to win and continue to try and prove to Heather that I could keep up with her. Then somehow we were the youngest and then longest reigning champions in the entire history of the program all the way up until our last competition when we were 18 at the showcase. Even though the _in between_ was pretty rough."

Shane then took out the award from when he and Heather were 8 and another one from their last showcase when they were 18 out of the box he brought with him, Alejandro was keeping his expression looking intrigued yet unreadable despite these being things he saw yesterday already.

Also the fact that in his _research_ to find Shane, he actually found videos on the country club website from the show cases when Heather and Shane competed. Even though _some years_ were _mysteriously missing_ from the website.

Alejandro watched every single one that he could find from all of their performances over the years.

Though Alejandro was not easily impressed and thought he was _definitely_ a better dancer than Shane and agreed that Heather was the stronger dancer of the two of them by far, he had to concede… Shane was still a _very_ skilled dancer.

It was incredibly yet also frustratingly easy for him to see why he and Heather were a strong pair on the dance floor. Even the first video he watched from when they were only 8 years old doing a cha-cha routine together just showed how _exceptional_ they were as dance partners, even at such a young age.

Alejandro looked at the pictures again for a moment, still trying to cover the tinge of _jealousy_ at seeing Heather with Shane despite Shane basically saying there were never any _romantic feelings_ between them.

But it was like he couldn't help himself.

Particularly when they did an Argentine tango in their final showcase performance when they were 18 and as much as Alejandro hated to admit it, seeing that level of _intimate proximity_ involved in doing a tango between Shane and Heather during their routine had nearly driven him to the point of wanting to throw his phone on the floor in the cafe he was having lunch in earlier in Toronto, despite begrudgingly still being _oddly impressed_ by their execution.

Well, he was still feeling that tinge of jealousy now until he caught something Shane just said.

"Pardon my asking but... what exactly do you mean 'the _in between_ was pretty rough'? And how so?" Alejandro inquired, looking _entirely_ curious and interested and having a _very_ strong feeling about what this was referring to from the _peculiar missing pictures_ on Heather's wall.

Shane was silent for several moments as he bit his lip for a moment before rubbing the back of his neck before elaborating, "Well, I don't know, man. It's not really something me or Heather really _like_ to talk about or bring up in detail. In our first year of high school after it _passed_ , both of us swore we'd _never_ talk about it _ever_ again. Honestly if I ever said anything, I'm pretty sure Heather would literally hunt me down and kill me."

"Then give me a summary." Alejandro bartered, definitely seeming more than _determined_ to squeeze any detail out of Shane that he could.

After what looked like a few moments of debating from Shane, he held up his pointer finger as a gesture to 'wait a second' as he used his other hand to down the remainder of his beer.

After finishing he sighed before saying, "Well, let's just say that when Heather and I were in junior high… neither of us were necessarily _popular_ or had it _easy_. Actually it was even worse than just being _unpopular_ , those 3 years for both Heather and I were just straight up _hell_. Again, I'm not saying anything about Heather since I am _definitely_ sure she'd kill me, but… I'll just say that puberty and adolescence _totally_ hit both of us like a damn tank in junior high. At least as far as I was concerned, I had cripplingly bad acne, braces, my voice started cracking _bad_ for what seemed like an eternity every time I tried talking, and then add on finding out I needed glasses and that I was a boy who liked ballroom dancing... that might as well have been my _social death sentence_ as a guy at our school. Not that Heather was totally _in the clear_ either but after a while people just left her alone since she's just, well... _Heather_. But I _definitely_ got unmercifully bullied by most of the guys at our school and also got called 'gross' or 'metal mouth' by a lot of the girls on a very regular basis every time I walked past them in the halls. But that was nothing compared to what a lot of the guys in our grade would do to me. It was bad, but never as bad as this one time when we were 12 after the final bell rang one day."

* * *

_**9 years ago** _

_Shane just closed up his locker after getting everything he needed to get his homework done to take home._

_He turned to start to make his way out of the school entrance until he felt his legs get swept out from under him by someone, making his glasses fly off his face as he let out a grunt as he hit the floor on his stomach._

_"Hey, what's the matter '_ Wuss-ton' _? I thought dancers were supposed to be light on their feet or some crap, right_ twinkletoes _?"_ _The source being one of the usual boys from the Junior high popular crowd that tormented Shane on a daily basis, Brian Cantor, and his group of cronies._

_Shane scrambled to get to his glasses, managing to put them back on before Brian took his foot and pressed it down on Shane's back to keep him down as one of Brian's friends commented, "Ha! I still can't believe this dork does ballroom dancing stuff. What a fruit!"_

_All of them started laughing as Shane just looked like he hit rock bottom, not even trying to fight back anymore after a straight year and a half of this from them._

_Brian stopped laughing as he continued to keep Shane pinned with his foot while another one of his friends added, "Yeah, and I heard he dances with Heather. Talk about dancing with wolves."_

_"Wolf? Ha! When talking about Heather with this loser, more like him dancing with a total cow."_ _Brian commented, making all of them practically die of laughter._

_Well, until Shane heard what sounded like someone throwing and landing a punch._

_Right then he felt Brian's foot leave his back as he heard Brian call out, "OW! What the?!"_

_Shane turned over to his back just in time to see Heather, who at this point in time was also heavily afflicted by acne and slightly on the 'pudgy side', braces adorning her teeth that were now bared at the boys in pure rage as she directed, daggers practically flying out of her eyes, "You jerks want to say that one more time to my face?!"_

_Despite the boys talking a_ tough game _before, all of them immediately scattered upon seeing Heather._

_Once it was just Heather and Shane alone in the hall, Shane just stared at Heather in shock at what she just did._

_Well, until he went back to being terrified when she directed at him with a pointer finger for emphasis, "And_ you…"

_Shane was shocked when Heather grabbed him by his shirt collar, practically hoisting him off the ground slightly before slamming his back into the lockers as she directed, "Seriously?! They called ME a cow and you a loser… and you did NOTHING?! Why the hell were you just taking that crap?!"_

_Shane just hung his head, still sounding defeated, "What's the point? They're right. I am a loser."_

_It wasn't even a millisecond after he said that as Heather just smacked him across the face in frustration as she gave him a total death glare and directed in frustrated rage, "Dammit Shane! You better cut that crap out right now! The more you give in to believing that 'loser crap', the more it turns you into one. And YOU are not going to just take being called a 'loser' because_ I _do not associate myself with spineless losers who don't have the balls to stand up for themselves. TAKE CHARGE! Because guess what? Someday I am going to crawl out of this hellhole on top and make every last one those pathetic peons pay for_ EVER _crossing me, both of us are, or so help me!"_

_With that Heather let go of Shane and exasperated in enraged frustration, slamming her fist against a random locker, before proceeding to stomp out of the hallway, leaving Shane in a confused yet thoughtful and reflective state as he processed everything Heather just said._

* * *

_**Present** _

Although Shane dared not reveal what Heather used to look like from that story to Alejandro since he valued his life enough to avoid Heather's wrath, he said enough to make Alejandro look completely fascinated by everything he just told him.

In fact, Alejandro now was even more curious and intrigued than ever about what could have possibly made Heather go from being at the bottom of her school's social ladder to the top and why she even had to make _a climb_ , considering it was something he couldn't even fathom based on how he _knew_ Heather.

But, Shane just decided to avoid the questioning of said subject entirely by starting, "But after Heather said all that to me… it was like something in my head finally just _clicked_. Sure as much as Heather freaked the ever living hell out of me in that moment and totally backhanded me by basically calling me a spineless wimp for just _accepting my fate_ , but in her own pissy, messed up way… Heather basically told me that she didn't think I was a loser. That she thought _I_ was actually worth _something_. But also, as totally demented as it was even to me to admit… Heather was probably the closest thing I had to a friend, especially in junior high… and then even in high school when it all boiled down. Even her being on my case about nearly my every move made sense and why she still wanted to be my dance partner when she could have easily switched. It was almost like she saw I had more potential as a dancer than I was giving and she was trying to _get it out of me_."

Alejandro continued his look of intrigue as he leaned forward and rested his elbows on his knees and clasped his hands together as he surmised, "And based on _Heather now_ , I'm assuming she held to her promise of _getting to the top?_ "

"You know she did… _and then some_. Toward the end of junior high and the summer before high school and even though it was _so_ slow going in junior high, Heather was right… about both of us. After years of battling with my acne and finally getting the right treatments, it cleared up. Then because I was tall and my gym teacher saw I had potential, he got me into trying out for the school basketball team and doing weight training. On top of that my parents let me get contacts and _finally_ my voice stopped cracking and settled into how it is now. And Heather… it was like night and day with her too by the end of the summer in more ways than one. I remember when Heather told me when we were writing an essay about our long term goals in grade 7 that she said she wanted to rule Europe. At the time I thought she was making a joke or being sarcastic. But once we got started in high school, Heather showed me that her saying that was most likely _anything_ but a joke just by how quickly she practically took over the entire school in just our first year. And you can bet she held true to everything else she said to me in the hallway that one day. Heather made every last person who treated us, well mainly her, like crap in junior high pay at one point or another. And it was like they made it stupidly too easy for her, especially the guys in our class. All the guys in our grade that bullied me and ridiculed her, all of a sudden were practically flocking to her since she was considered by far the hottest girl in our school at that point by a lot of the guys. Sure the girls who used to call me 'gross' and 'metalmouth' did the same thing to me, but after how they treated me before… all I did was just turn them down and leave it at that. But Heather… she knew how to take things to a _whole other level_. Because when it comes to Heather, _no one_ does revenge like she does. Oh, crap, dude I…" Shane started, realizing he was talking to Alejandro as he said _that_.

Even though Alejandro tensed up for a moment, he managed to relax his demeanor as he said, "Nevermind _that_. So… what _exactly_ would Heather do?"

Even though Alejandro was basically Heather's biggest revenge turn after what she did to him on International TV in Hawaii, he couldn't help his _morbid curiosity_ to know what she did to practically _take vengeance_ on other young men who ridiculed and messed with her in school.

Shane's eyes went wide as he grimaced slightly and shook his head slowly before answering, "Oh, _everything in the book_ plus writing her own that was even more dastardly and straight up twisted when it came to taking out her revenge on all the guys who ridiculed her… which was pretty much all of them in our grade except me to be honest, and she was determined to get back at every last one of them. Now look, I'm not perfect either, but I tried to take the high road by just refusing the girls who made fun of me. With Heather, she'd reject the guys who were just the _lesser offenders_ to her at school and even she managed to turn that into practically ritual humiliation for them. But, the ones at the top of her _black list_ , she did things that I can't believe anyone would do… well, except Heather."

Alejandro tilted his head, yet again showing his morbid curiosity, before asking, "Care to enlighten me with an _example_ of some kind?"

Then Alejandro was sort of surprised to see Shane smirk slightly and actually let out a laugh before recovering and then saying, "Sorry, despite me thinking Heather's literally the most twisted, manipulative human being I've ever met and I thought she usually took things _way_ too far a lot of the time, but… she totally got Brian Cantor SO good that it makes me feel straight up evil for even laughing about and enjoying what she ended up doing to him. But… man, for Heather, it was _glorious_."

Alejandro was almost about to lose it at Shane practically dangling this information at him until Shane continued, "I was in the boys locker room at school after weight training and I just heard Brian literally throwing an absolute _fit_ on the other side of the lockers talking about how he went out on _one_ date with Heather, and she had him drive them to this wooded area outside of town that was kind of considered a local _make out spot_. And Heather completely tricked him into thinking she was going to hook up with him out in the woods… well, she didn't do any of that and ended up totally ditching him there by himself, stealing his clothes, locking him out of and also keying his car, and just bolted out of there. When I asked her about it later, she told me she also tossed his phone and his keys in the lake just outside town on her way back so he couldn't call anyone to help him and so he'd have no choice but to walk back into town butt naked. And speaking of, the way he had to walk from in that direction to get home is through our town's downtown area where the most foot traffic is. Then to top it off, Brian even got taken in by the police for 'indecent exposure' since they just assumed he was streaking as a prank as he was trying to run through downtown. And since Brian was pissed and embarrassed as all get out by everything Heather did to him, he didn't even want to try to report it and have the embarrassment of being tricked come back to bite him, so Heather got off scott-free… and she _knew_ she was going to get away with it! Again, as twisted as Heather is… she _totally_ got Brian _good_. Honestly that was why when she first said she signed up for _Total Drama_ in that first season, I was honestly shocked when she didn't win since to me… the things Heather's capable of doing still kind of both freaks me out and also _weirdly_ impresses me to this day."

Despite this not being a total surprise to Alejandro for _very obvious reasons_ , he also couldn't help himself from seeing the humor in it from an _outside perspective_.

Honestly to him, the thought of Heather going out on dates with the boys who used to seriously ridicule her in school as a ruse to just tease and manipulate them by luring them into a false sense of security before executing her revenge on them was practically _genius_ on her part… and also just _so_ 'Heather'.

Again, despite Heather pulling that same sort of stunt on him at the botanic gardens the previous weekend and _everything else,_ Alejandro had to admit… he was actually quite _impressed_.

But, it wasn't until this point as another point of curiosity struck Alejandro as he inquired, trying not to be too _obvious_ , "So, if you and Heather never dated and _that's_ what she was like with the other boys at your school… then, did she ever have any kind of a more _serious relationship_ at all?"

Alejandro had no idea why he was so curious about this particular _detail_ , but he just couldn't help himself as he just seemed to weigh all the factors.

From everyone else he's spoken to, it's like it seems that he is the only guy who ever seemed to have actual feelings for Heather and for Heather to even remotely return them to him at _any_ capacity, even if stubborn and begrudgingly most times.

 _Especially_ after Damien's comment of him seeing 'no guy getting _anywhere_ with Heather other him'.

So… Alejandro couldn't help himself but wonder if Heather ever did have any former boyfriends at all?

Shane shrugged and responded, "Honestly, as far as I knew, Heather never had a serious boyfriend that I could think of. Considering she had a personal vendetta against most of the guys at our school and all the other guys after hearing stories of what she did to the guys on her _black list_ thought she was some sort of evil succubus or something that would be more likely to kill them after hooking up with them like some kind of black widow spider than anything else and stayed clear out of her way. She'd go out with guys but that was about it. Also… it didn't seem like Heather was even that interested in anyone like that anyway. About the closest she got to being around and interacting with any guy on a regular basis was me and she wasn't even doing it because she necessarily _liked_ me. I was just her dance partner. Even though like most things, Heather lived to just have things go her way or the highway since she seemed to almost block me from trying to date anyone if it interfered with us and practicing our routine outside cotillion. One time when we were 16, she told me to come over to her house so we could practice and when I told her I couldn't because I had a date and she said word for word, ' _I don't care if you're taking the PM's daughter to a damn square dance._ You _are coming over and_ we _are going to practice. Got it?!'._ With Heather, it's like she didn't want any other girl in any situation to have _any_ priority or status over her."

Although Shane was relaying all these things Heather has said and done in the past second hand to Alejandro… it was so easy for Alejandro to picture and imagine Heather doing all the things he said, practically confirming that he isn't lying or even remotely stretching the truth.

"Hm, that does make sense. I even remember her brother mentioning to me how she once put a tarantula in a girl's locker just for winning at a Winter formal court over her." Alejandro recalled, looking like he was working on an invisible puzzle in his mind as he sorted through the _details_ just given to him.

"Oh yeah, she did _that_ to my girlfriend at the time, Macie Sherman." Shane filled in nonchalantly, almost like he was just reading off a casual fact.

Alejandro quirked up an eyebrow before responding, "Wait, really?"

" _Oh yeah_ … her and Heather _hated_ each other. Sure Heather hates _a lot_ of people, but she _really_ hated Macie. You should've seen Heather when she found out I was dating her. Short version, she threw a fit and then threw her right shoe at me. But, looking back on it, maybe Heather was onto something since after a year of us dating Macie basically dumped me for my friend Ross on my basketball team a little over a month before Prom so… yeah, _good times_." Shane said, rolling his eyes and scoffing for a second.

"Then again that was pretty much the reason why I went to Prom with Heather. Mostly because no one else would even want to go with her except me, I was single, and we were on Prom court together anyway so it kind of just made sense. Plus we were used to doing things like that together with Junior League events and the showcase, so Prom wasn't going to be any different. Though how someone as hated as Heather at our school won a lot and got on court so many times at dances, I still have no idea… and I'm honestly still even afraid to question it to this day." Shane explained, sitting back and crossing his arms and grimacing slightly at the thought.

Alejandro quirked up an eyebrow again as he inquired, looking like he was finally starting to get all the pieces together, "Well, from what I saw you both came out _successful_ it seems _._ "

Shane knew Alejandro was referring to he and Heather winning Prom King and Queen together.

Shane ran a hand through his hair before continuing, "Yeah… for some reason. I didn't even want to be on Prom court and had no idea why anyone would even nominate me since I wasn't into the _popularity contest_ stuff, until I heard that the girls from the cheer squad nominated me, until Heather just told me she got the entire squad to nominate me since she was head cheerleader. I wanted to question why the hell she even did that, but once I saw who else got on Prom court, I immediately knew why. Macie and my 'friend' Ross were also on Prom court too. And from that point on… I knew _exactly_ what Heather was doing and why she had me nominated. I knew Heather long enough to know that she pretty much _always_ had a plan. And you can bet she was making me part of her _plan_ to do what she did best. If everything else she did before in high school was just _the playoffs,_ then Prom was going to be her championship victory… and she was going to go out with an atomic bond sized bang. And she did. She used her position on the student council to help execute the most _amazingly brutal_ smear campaigns against everyone else on Prom court and used her position on the Prom committee to make sure everything _went in our favor_. Sure she paid some guys on the hockey team to toss some ballot boxes for her opponents in the student council elections into the urinals of the boys locker room so she could win class president, but… I had _never_ seen her go _that_ brutal over something involving a vote at school. But, our final showcase routine was the week before Prom and even though we knew we had it sewn up, Heather was having me come over to practice it with her almost every single day, multiple times. Even after the showcase was over and we won to nobody's surprise, she was being... _weird._ "

"How so?" Alejandro pressed, quirking up an eyebrow in curiosity.

Shane scratched the back of his head before elaborating, "Well, even though the showcase was over and done, every day leading up to Prom she kept on talking about _making sure I didn't forget the routine_. And at first I had no damn idea what she was talking about… until we were at Prom and I saw her _pass something off_ to the DJ before the dance started. But, after knowing Heather for 12 years at that point, I decided not to even try to think about the things she did anymore… well, until we _actually_ won Prom King and Queen and we walked out onto the dance floor arm in arm as she said, ' _You better still have the routine down.'_ Then it finally hit me. This was how Heather was going to go out. She was going to achieve Prom Queen and she wasn't about to win it and go out on some stupid, overdone, and lame-ass slow dance. That's not _Heather_. She had it all planned for us to win and for us to do our tango routine from the showcase in front of everyone and make her victory as Prom Queen something everyone would never forget."

Shane sighed and rubbed the back of his neck before continuing, "Honestly… I was freaked out. Even though _what I used to be_ in junior high was long since dead and buried by that point, it's like I couldn't _shake it_. Aside from dancing in Heather's parents basement and the ballroom at the country club, I had _never_ done anything like this with dancing like that in front of everyone at school. Even though I could feel all my old social anxiety coming on, I was determined to push it down and not to let any of it get the best of me. And… we did it. All I remembered was the whole room being dead silent and people had their phones locked on us. And I was just waiting for everyone to start laughing after the music from our routine ended before everyone in the room got so loud I thought the sound barrier broke for a second. All the guys from my team that didn't even know I did ballroom dancing were going insane and asking me how I knew any of that… and also jokingly pointed out and _congratulated me_ on how I was somehow _still alive_ after dancing with Heather. They were all laughing about it, but… then I just kept thinking. As much as Heather scared the hell out of me as a kid especially and nitpicked me and made me want to quit so many times growing up… I actually owed a lot to her. Before I met Heather, I was scared of even talking to most people and being around her and dealing with her as much as I had to only made me stronger, braver... _confident_. As weird as it is for me to even admit it to myself now, my mom was right. Joining the cotillion Junior League group at the country club really was 'good for me'."

Alejandro titled his head as he saw a slight smirk appear on Shane's face as he thought back to it until he got a slightly perplexed look on his face before he said, "And then all that got tossed over the side when Prom was over. Since I drove us in my car, I took her home and she _insisted_ on me showing her to her front door as her _date._ And I just humored her like I've been doing since the day I met her and did it, but right when I was about to walk away all I heard was, ' _Hey, Shane.'_ I turned back around and I felt like I was going to go into catatonic shock when she gave me a kiss on the cheek before just turning on her heels and walking into her parents house. All I did was stand there for 5 minutes trying to figure out what the hell just happened and if the apocalypse was possibly about to happen as a result."

"Wait… _Heather,_ did _that_?" Alejandro interjected, allowing his absolute confusion to show at full force.

"Just like I said. And trust me… then _that_ even seemed like nothing compared to the last time I saw her. It was graduation yearbook signing and Heather just walked up to me and waved her free hand at me to swap so she could write in it and gave me hers. So, I just wrote her something that I know she'd probably make a snide remark about, until she just gave me my book back and took hers before she just walked away." Shane paused as he dug into the box again and pulled out his high school yearbook and opened it to the back section before pointing something out and handing it to Alejandro as he said, "Just look at it."

Alejandro gave Shane a weird look before looking at the yearbook and his expression contorted in confusion when he read what Shane pointed to, written in the most concise cursive he's ever seen:

* * *

_Shane,_

_I guess I've never been exactly great at doing this kind of thing. But, thanks. Take care of yourself._

_-Heather_

* * *

"Qué?" Alejandro said to himself now more perplexed than ever, looking at what Heather wrote to Shane and wasn't even believing it.

Despite it still even being written with a slight pinch of her usual passive aggressiveness, he had never even heard or seen Heather actually do anything that remotely seemed in any way genuine, much less even actually 'thank' someone to any positive degree whatsoever.

"Yeah, I was just as confused as you about that too. But, I couldn't even ask her about it because she was already gone the next morning going off to compete on season 3 of _Total Drama_. So, kinda no dice on that one. At first I just settled into my usual summer routine of caddying at the country club and just doing laps in the pool before dinner and then crashing out of heat exhaustion. Then I woke up one morning and just saw a bunch of texts on my phone from all the guys from cotillion. All of them were either asking if I saw _Total Drama_ last night or more _overwhelmingly_ all of them were totally messing with me and saying things like ' _Better watch out dude. Looks like the_ latin lover _is moving in on your_ wife'. After trying to figure out what the hell they kept talking about, as well as rolling my eyes at them for still calling Heather ' _my wife_ ' because they knew it pissed me off whenever they did that, I finally watched _Total Drama_ and saw what they meant with you and Heather. And I had to admit… I was rooting for you guys." Shane admitted with a slight grin.

Alejandro gave him an unsure look as he interjected, "Pardon, but… 'Latin Lover'?"

Shane let out a breathy laugh and shrugged as he said, "Yeah, that was the nickname the guys came up with for you. But, seriously, I mean it. You guys were pretty much the best part of that stupid show. Watching you and Heather trying to constantly one up each other was awesome and… kind of _cool._ Up until you, I never saw someone else who could compete with Heather at her own game. I actually watched every new episode after I was done doing my laps after work just to see what you guys would do next. You guys made that whole thing worth watching. And... I could also see what else you and Heather had _going on._ "

Although Alejandro was still preserving a manner of keeping himself under control from an _outward perspective_ , internally he was about as tense and wound up as the gears in an over wound clock, pretty much knowing what was _coming_.

Alejandro was tensely clasping his hands together in an attempt to further cover this up and try to relieve his inward tension, emphasis on 'try'.

Shane kept looking at Alejandro as he continued, "And then seeing you and her in the finale at…"

Alejandro immediately stood up with clenched fists, his eyes and voice possessing a characteristic of serious defensiveness, as he cut in, "With all do respect, _amigo,_ but _you_ are standing _perilously_ close to the edge on something that you have _no_ idea about. Particularly that _what happened_ is something that's _none_ of your business or concern."

Shane put his hands up with wide eyes at Alejandro as he stood up too and said, "Look man, no offense, but I literally just told you an entire damn memoir about myself. Then I say one thing and you get all _bent about it?_ You know, that Noah guy was right, you really are pretty much just like Heather."

Hardly even a second after Shane finished speaking, Alejandro had an intense look in his eye as he grabbed Shane by the collar of his V-neck T-shirt, making Shane's eyes widen further.

It was silent between them before Shane just looked down slightly at Alejandro before saying, sounding matter of fact yet neutral and calm, "You're still into Heather… aren't you?"

Alejandro's eyes widened for a moment before narrowing them at Shane slightly before responding smoothly yet still short, "That's none of your concern."

Looking fed up, Alejandro made an effort to compose himself as he took a step back, folding his arms behind his back as he straightened up.

They both just looked at each other for a moment and it looked like Alejandro was about to walk away until he heard, " _Scrollsaw_ movies."

Alejandro paused and quirked up an eyebrow at Shane with a confused look on his face as he responded, just as confused, "Pardon?"

Shane took a step forward and explained, "The _Scrollsaw_ movies. They're her favorite movie franchise to watch. Don't ask me why she enjoys a movie franchise that involves a sadistic psycho locking people up in buildings and making them do messed up puzzles that involve them doing stuff like sawing off their limbs to escape… but then again, why am I questioning it when I'm talking about Heather here. And purple is her all time favorite color. Doesn't matter what shade of purple, it's always her go to."

"And why are you telling me these things exactly?" Alejandro responded, sounding confused and still slightly agitated.

"Because I want to help you." Shane answered simply.

Alejandro tilted his head at Shane in complete confusion as he crossed his arms in front of him.

It almost looked like Alejandro was about to make some snide comment about 'not needing his help' when Shane sighed and ran a hand through his hair before elaborating, "Look, I'm not going to ask any questions or even really want or need to know _what happened_ or is still _happening_ between you and Heather. As much as I am confused as hell about what is _going on_ between you and Heather, that's all between you for you guys to _work out_. But, I can tell for whatever reason that you still are into her… and I can help you with that. I've known Heather for 12 years, I know things about her that most people don't. And next to her annoying little twit of a brother and you, I probably know Heather better than anyone alive. Besides… I owe it to her for how much she helped me. And that it's clear she won't do herself a favor and help herself since she's just… _herself_. Anyway, what do you say?"

Shane held out a hand to Alejandro as Alejandro pondered it for a few moments as he kept giving Shane an unsure look before slowly grinning and accepting the handshake.

Almost immediately Alejandro asked, his tone nothing but as intrigued as he looked, "So… _what else_ do you know?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh my GOD! This chapter took so long to write! But after seeing what I did and doing my edits on it… I was pretty pleased with how it came out myself. But, I'll leave the final judgement up to you all since you somehow made it to the end of this marathon of a chapter I wrote. Haha. :) But, for real, this chapter was so much fun for me to write! I had an awesome time taking everything in Heather's cumulative Fresh TV profile, and putting it all together to make Heather's full backstory. Especially since, for those who didn't know, in Heather's TDI profile, her deepest darkest secret was how she used to basically be a style challenged Junior High reject with bad acne and being a little overweight before she became the popular, mean girl Queen bee we all know that's like Regina George and Heather Chandler combined and then multiply that by 10. Haha. But that's why we love her! Haha. XD And it was so fun for me to figure out how to portray what Heather was like with her peers in school and to me it just seemed so much like Heather to me to have her as just this vengeful iron fisted popular girl who liked flexing her new found popularity and power by mostly totally trolling and tormenting the boys who used to make fun of her in messed up ways. I mean, c'mon, we're talking about the same girl that read Gwen's diary on TV and also kissed Trent in front of Gwen just to stir the pot and make everyone turn on Trent and to just torment Gwen so… is there any room to be surprised? Just saying. Lol. That's why I wanted to make Shane's character and have him explain his entire time knowing Heather and what Heather was like as an unbiased outside opinion, especially since he's not even an ex or anything remotely close that. But… perhaps Shane was maybe right with Heather thinking more highly of him than she let on. Maybe nothing necessarily romantic, but… perhaps just a bit of a rare soft spot that Heather had toward him, in her own cold unfeeling way. Haha. Possibly more on that later. ;) Also, I wanted to make Shane and Heather's 'friendship' for lack of a better word make sense by having them go through similar struggles together as they got older and went through school together. Plus, I hope you liked my portrayal of a rare jealous and agitated Alejandro. Although Alejandro is typically a very cool and calm minded character, I always thought it was interesting whenever we saw him get frustrated and angry in the show. I think we remember when he went on his whole 'José tantrum' in the Hawaii finale? But, I like seeing those rare sides of him since it shows his more human side. And also that Heather isn't the only one who can get jealous… it just takes more to get under Alejandro's skin when it comes to him getting jealous seeing other guys around Heather. Although seeing Shane and Heather doing their tango routine in the showcase with their 'close proximity' definitely seemed to push some buttons on Alejandro for sure. Lol. XD However… it also seems like Alejandro possibly found an unlikely ally in Shane to help him win Heather over, or at least try to? ;) Anyway, thanks so much for taking the time to read and constructive feedback is always appreciated. Hope you all are staying safe and well out there!
> 
> Stay classy!
> 
> Dexter1995


	10. Getaway

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, again… You all are seriously going to make me cry with how incredibly supportive and positive you have been! Seriously just hearing you guys telling me how great I do in writing Alejandro and Heather's dynamic as well as just them as characters… It literally means the world to me since they have literally been my OTP since Total Drama World Tour premiered 10 years ago. I don't care, I'm 25 and I am a proud Aleheather shipper and it's so good to see this ship's community is still going strong all these years later. :) And to respond to 'JustaFriend' really quick, thank you so much for everything you said and believe me, this fanfic is worth all the time and effort I put into it with how much I enjoy writing it… and the fact that all you enjoy reading it as well just makes it that much more enjoyable for me as a writer. So thank you! I'm also so happy to hear you guys seemed to really like Shane's character as well! That whole addition was a gamble that could have gone either way, but you guys seriously just rock! Thank you yet again! :) Anyway, here's chapter one of this fanfic crossing over into an M-rating, you'll see why I decided to make this choice later on. Also, I'm apparently incapable of writing chapters that are shorter lately since this one is also ungodly long so I apologize in advance. Haha. This chapter begins the day Alejandro and Heather are set to go on their third, technical, date. Hope you all enjoy it!

**(Heather's POV)**

Well, that was a total waste of my time.

Ugh, I knew it was just too good to have a new prospective agent interested in representing me already. _Particularly_ since he didn't even seem remotely interested in trying to get me the sort of deals that I wanted.

Well, just… ugh, whatever. I'm still better off on my own at this point.

I rounded the corner back onto my parents' street and was about to pull in the driveway when I could feel my whole expression contort in absolute confusion at whatever the hell I was seeing going on in front of the garage.

Alejandro was just casually standing in the driveway next to his car and looking like he was talking and laughing with my parents about _something._

_What in the… ugh, what is HE doing here this early?!_

I looked at the clock in my car and saw it was only a few minutes past noon.

I didn't even waste any time as I got out of the car and the sound of my car door slamming shut finally got their attention as I started making my way over with a purpose.

Alejandro just looked back at me as he gave me that typical grin that aggravates me to no end as he said, "Ah, buenas tardes, Heather. You're just in time."

I took off my sunglasses as I simultaneously crossed my arms and narrowed my eyes at him before retorting, " _Just in time?_ In case you haven't noticed in the Toronto area where _we are_ right now, it's noon. Or have you gotten your time zones so screwed up that you think you're in Madrid where it's 6 PM?"

All he did was smirk in amusement at me as he responded, "Oh no, there's no mistake whatsoever. There's just been a _slight_ change of plan. Your parents said that all you had was a meeting late in the morning, but you would be back by noon. So, I decided to take the liberty of also using my free time to come by early to get a head start. Especially with it being the weekend following your birthday… I decided to make some _slight_ modifications to our itinerary."

I quirked up an eyebrow in absolute skepticism and confusion, not knowing what the hell he was talking about?

I was still pissed at how he somehow tricked me _again_ into going out with him on a third date with him anyway and he's been so annoying about saying _it was a surprise._

 _Yeah_ , because the last time he _surprised me_ a couple days ago, worked out SO well.

"Okay, _Don Juan Doofus_ , but what _are_ we even doing if you don't mind?" I questioned, still trying to figure out what he was trying to play at with me right now.

Again, all he did was grin at me as he replied, matter of fact but still completely teasing by revealing nothing, "Nothing you aren't already prepared for, _mi ángel_. Then again, you are almost always ready for anything as _I_ already know. So, shall we?"

He motioned to his car, opening the passenger side door for me.

I debated for a moment before just giving in, "Okay, _fine._ Whatever…"

_Just relax. You can do this, Heather. The sooner you get this over with the better._

I almost completely forgot my parents were there as I heard my mom say, "You two have a nice time! And don't rush back."

I looked over as I tilted my head and was about to ask what was happening until my dad chimed in, "Absolutely, _Heather-feather_! Take as much time away as you like. Bye now!"

As much as I felt my entire being just contorting in enraged embarrassment at my dad calling me _that_ yet again in front of Alejandro… _what the hell are they talking about?_

It's just a date.

Where the hell do they think I'm going?!

Hello, I live here!

What? Do they think I'm going on a freaking extended sabbatical somewhere or something?!

I kept giving them both a beyond confused look even after Alejandro shut the door. Alejandro then got in on the driver's side and started up the car before we drove off, my parents were still standing in the driveway and just waving at us.

As I was still trying to process what the hell was going on, my eyes went wide as I saw my parents in the side mirror immediately high five before hugging each other and then running into the house.

_What the?..._

I slowly and robotically looked over at Alejandro, making him take notice as he glanced at me out of the corner of his eye before asking, his tone still completely smug and teasing, "Is something wrong, _mi cariña_?"

I immediately gave him a look as I directed, "Yes, now that you mention it... _everything!_ Seriously, _what_ are you up to and _where_ the hell are you taking me?!"

He just smirked as he looked at the road before saying, "Oh Heather, but that's the beauty of it. Besides, what's the point of a surprise if the _mystery_ of it is taken away? Don't you trust me enough to show you a nice time?"

I crossed my arms at him as I responded with a scoff, "Seriously? I trust you with a _surprise_ about as much as I would trust Damien to refill my shampoo and conditioner bottles with the _correct_ contents. Considering that little fungus once filled them with glue before… then _yeah_ , like I'd trust either of you with a _surprise_ any further than I can spit."

He just chuckled to himself and I was about to make a remark until I saw him making a left out of my subdivision rather than a right.

"Um excuse me, _Hernán Cortés_ , have you also become directionally challenged now? Toronto is that way." I pointed out in confused annoyance.

"Oh, we aren't going toward Toronto this time. And believe me, I know _exactly_ where we're going. However, that is only for me to know and for you to find out, chica." He responded with that same knowing grin before continuing to drive.

_**1 hour and 15 minutes later** _

We were still driving and I was just trying not to say anything that could possibly dig me into a deeper teasing grave than I already have dug for myself at his and my own expense.

But… I had literally no idea where we even were?

We were literally surrounded by nothing but trees on either side of the road in the _middle of literally nowhere, Ontario._

I crossed my arms and gave him a sideways glance out of the corner of my eye before saying, more making a snide comment than anything, "You're finally going to kill me, aren't you?"

He just laughed before saying, "Oh Heather, what would _ever_ give you that impression?"

"Well, considering, _nothing_ and _no one_ is around for several square miles and you won't tell me anything about where you're taking me, then I think I have the right to be suspicious right now." I stated plainly.

He just kept chuckling as I glared at him before he responded, "Just have patience Heather, and you are quite wrong with your impression. Actually we're almost to our _destination_. Just a few more miles. Believe me, you'll like it when you see it."

"We'll see about that." I responded shortly.

I don't care.

I'm still skeptical, displeased, and unimpressed by literally _everything_ about this.

But, I decided to just quit while I was ahead as I looked out the window, resting my head against my right hand while letting my left hand relax down on the armrest.

It was silent for a few moments until I felt my left hand get grabbed as I heard, "Well, I'm at least pleased to see you seem to enjoy my gift."

I whipped my head over just in time to see him look over at me and kiss the back of my hand before brushing his thumb against the tennis bracelet he gave me… that I was now cursing myself for wearing right now, considering I was planning on taking it off before _someone_ decided to show up early _completely_ unannounced.

I just ripped my hand away as I rolled my eyes and scoffed, " _Don't_ get any ideas, it just complimented my outfit for my lunch meeting for today."

" _Of course_ … my mistake." He commented, giving me a knowing grin and a wink, still looking like he was completely seeing through me since I actually _really_ liked the bracelet.

I just glared at him as I crossed my arms and looked out the window as my only defense.

_Ugh… damn him._

All of a sudden we turned onto this side road that wasn't even paved. It was just a one lane gravel road with, again, nothing but trees surrounding us on either side.

_Okay, if he's trying to convince me that he's not going to murder me out here after the amount of triller movies and true crime shows I watch… this is NOT helping._

We rounded this bend on the gravel road until my eyes went wide when I saw what looked like a _very_ nice two story house on a hill overlooking a lake about a hundred feet down at the foot of the hill.

"Welcome to la casa de Burromuerto… well one of them anyway." He announced, smirking at me, before he came around and opened my door since all I kept doing was staring in front of me.

Just _taking in_ what I was looking at.

Again, I'm not easily impressed and not that I was about to tell him, but… this probably the most gorgeous piece of lakefront property I have ever seen, especially the view.

I was hardly paying attention since I was practically letting him help me out of the car with very little resistance, and I didn't even care.

He stood next to me as I just kept looking at the house as I heard him explain, "When my father took his diplomatic position here in Canada when I was 14, my parents got invited to a summer lake house for a party by an acquaintance and loved it so much that they decided to purchase their own private lake front property here. We come here several times during the year to get away from everything. But since everyone is busy at the moment, I just happened to have a free schedule at this time, and it being your birthday this past Thursday… I thought we could enjoy a little time away together this weekend. Just to relax… and have a little more _privacy_ to get to know each other."

I felt a blush come through as I looked down to see him holding my left hand and smoothing his thumb over the back of my hand until my eyes went wide as a realization hit me and I immediately narrowed my eyes at him as I ripped my hand away from him.

Immediately I got right in his face as I directed, "Seriously? You honestly expect me to spend an entire weekend _alone_ out here with _you?!_ AND you dragged me out here with nothing but my purse and the clothes on my back?! Well you can just!..."

"Already taken care of, _mi ángel._ You see, like most things, I anticipated everything that might be needed. So I came to your house while you were out and your lovely mother was kind enough to pack an overnight bag for you after I explained my plan. In fact, allow me..." He paused as he went to the trunk of his car and retrieved what was clearly my violet colored overnight bag and held it out to me.

I just stared at it in shock until I felt like having yet another conniption as I saw him just grin victoriously at me.

_Oh he's… he's… UGH! I hate him._

As much as I wanted to just wring his neck for completely swindling me into going on some kind of a stupid, convoluted _weekend getaway_ together AND for sweet-talking my mom _again_ into helping him in his stupid schemes to do… WHATEVER THE HELL HE'S BEEN UP TO WITH THIS DATE CRAP?!

But, I remained calm.

Well, but not before I violently snatched the bag out of his hand and said, laying out my terms, " _Fine._ I'll stay, but let's make a couple things clear _right now_. First, you and I are staying in _separate_ rooms. _Got it?!_ Second, you are not going to touch _any_ of my stuff again or so help me I _will_ kill you. Third, you are _never_ allowed to talk to my mom ever again if all you're going to do is keep swindling her into _doing your bidding_."

It was quiet as he hung his head and said, letting out a sigh, "As you wish… though that all is disappointing on many accounts. Particularly since I happen to enjoy talking to your mother very much. She's always quite helpful and kind to me."

I rolled my eyes and scoffed as I retorted, "You _mean_ you enjoy that you can _sweet-talk her_ into practically giving you anything you want involving me."

Alejandro just gave me a slight yet beyond sly smirk and shrugged, making me feel like a blood vessel in my head was going to burst.

Then I really thought I was going to blow a gasket as he quirked up an eyebrow and pointed out, smug and completely knowingly, "But tell me Heather, had I not asked your mother to pack for you? Would you have even agreed to comply with my plan at all to come out here?"

He continued to give me that smug look as I just narrowed my eyes at him, internally knowing he _completely_ had me.

_Damn him._

I just scoffed and rolled my eyes and said, just avoiding the subject all together, "Whatever, are you going to show me where I can put my bag or what?"

Eventually Alejandro just smiled and motioned out in front of him as he said, "Absolutely, I'll even give you the tour. I'd even offer to carry your bag for you as a true gesture of chivalry, but since you seem _insistent_ on doing it yourself..."

"I'm fine." I cut in, _very_ adamant to not let him play with me.

Finally I followed him into the house and… okay, again I'm not going to admit this to him but, _wow._

The inside was made to look like a very rustic yet chic lodge and was _very_ nicely decorated. Honestly, I'd even go as far as to call it _cozy_ in someway.

"Here, we'll drop off your things and I'll let you get settled before showing you around." He offered as I snapped out of it and reminded him, "I _do_ get my own room, correct?"

He turned back and smirked as he said, "Definitely. Even before you made that a _term_ , I was going to give you your own room regardless as a gentlemanly courtesy; however..." He paused and gave me a look and a smirk and then took a step closer as he leaned against the wall next to me.

He wasn't even touching me, but we were still hardly 3 inches away from each other as his eyes locked on me and I was pushing down a blush with _every_ fiber of my being.

Well, until my _entire being_ completely betrayed me as I felt that blush come through in full force as he brushed a stray strand of my hair behind my ear before saying, his tone _completely_ smooth and seductive, " _Unless_ , you _wanted_ to give me the honor and privilege of being in your _company_ tonight in that regard..."

I just kept staring at him until I finally snapped out of it and pushed him away slightly as I said, trying to maintain my front, " _Yeah,_ pass."

Even though I could tell he was also trying to maintain a front of his own, it's like I could see a level of slightly flustered disappointment coming off him, but… ugh, whatever.

_Serves you right, you teasing jerk._

Eventually he showed me to a room after also showing me his room; like I cared, and told to meet him out by the back porch that we passed on the way in.

Honestly, it was practically like having a tank lifted off my chest when I was alone in the guest room, which was also _very_ nice and _put together_ like the rest of the house. I decided to just organize really quick and saw a vanity in the corner.

I put some of my makeup and my brush out until I saw something that caught my eye… and also making my eyes want to fall out of my head.

There was a picture sitting on the vanity next to the mirror that had what looked like a family photo sitting in it, specifically what looked like Alejandro's family picture.

I know literally next to nothing about Alejandro's family other than he has 2 older brothers, his dad being a diplomat, and that his parents used to be competitive ballroom dancers.

But, I had never seen what his family looked like… until now.

_Okay, seriously, you've got to be kidding? What the hell kind of pod-person family is this?!_

_Seriously, they're all... gorgeous._

Even his parents who had to have been near the same age as my parents, were practically _so_ good looking that it was almost making _me_ hate myself!... _Almost_.

And Alejandro and his brothers were literally _no_ different.

As much as it makes me feel disgusted and frustrated to completion to even admit that to myself. Although Alejandro seemed to be the only one out of his brothers that got his dad's light green eyes, all 3 of them were just these tall, tan, chiseled statuesque looking guys with facial features so concise you could probably freaking cut diamonds with them.

Again, I hate myself for even admitting it… but Alejandro's family literally is _so_ physically perfect looking that it makes me want to scream in annoyed frustration.

Then again, maybe I should make a copy of this picture for myself to show to people the next time I want to just make someone hate themselves.

_But for now..._

I turned the picture face down so I didn't have to look at it so I could clear my head.

Even though it didn't stop me from making sure I still looked good in the mirror before I went out. But, then again, since when do I never look remotely good?

I was going along until I got to the door and paused as I looked at the door knob until I scrunched my eyes shut and almost felt like I was giving myself a freaking meditative pep talk at this point.

_Breathe Heather, you just have to make it past tonight and tomorrow, then you'll never have to deal with him or this idiocy ever again._

I finally opened the door and walked back down the hall and saw the back sliding door open and Alejandro leaning on the banister of the back deck, looking out at the lake.

I decided to just approach the situation as I said, trying to maintain my _normal_ , "So, is that _tour_ still on the agenda?"

He turned around and grinned when he saw me before he said, "Absolutely, I'll give you the grand tour of the house and then we can take a walk down by the lake. Unfortunately, the boat has already been winterized, but it's been pretty warm lately so the water should be quite pleasant just in case you wanted to go in. But, it is your birthday weekend and I'm willing to do whatever you would like. Not that I usually _ever_ have any _objection_."

I straightened up as I said, still trying to remain strong, "A tour is fine." He smirked and said, "As you wish. We'll start with the upstairs."

After that he motioned for us to go back inside and I very _hesitantly_ followed.

_**4 hours later** _

I was sitting at the dining room table as I kept trying to look and see what he was doing in the kitchen.

All he told me to do was sit and relax while he got dinner ready for us. Even though I have no idea how the hell he thinks I'm in any way capable of ' _relaxing'_ when I can't watch what he's doing right now.

But up until now, and as much as I hate to admit it… it actually was _nice_ so far _._

Again, as much as it makes me confused and still beyond suspicious as all get out with _anything and everything_ that has to do with him, it has actually been really _normal..._ even _comfortable_ out here.

After he showed me around his parents' summer house, we walked out along the shore of the lake out back.

Even with him still being insufferable with wanting me to hold onto his stupid arm with that smug grin on his face as we walked together, it was still actually... _tolerable_.

I kept looking over into the kitchen until he walked out with two plates as well as a smug grin on his face, continuing to make me suspicious.

I was about to make some kind of remark about it until my eyes went wide for a second as he set a plate out in front of me.

_You've gotta be kidding me right now?_

On the plate was a salmon fillet garnished with lemon and a side of seasoned asparagus.

He said, "I recalled hearing from a _reliable source_ recently that you happened to like salmon… and by coincidence, so do I considering it's involved in most of my favorite meals. So, I had my family's cook give me her recipe for my favorite salmon dish that she always makes for me every year on my birthday. Lemon roasted salmon fillets with a side of asparagus… and not too bad for a first try on my part, if I do say so myself. But, I'll leave the final _critique_ up to you."

He just pushed the plate closer to me and just kept watching me.

As much as I was questioning how the hell even found out this was my favorite, or how weird it was that we happened to have to have the same tastes in food since I love salmon with lemon, I just gave him a skeptical look as I hesitantly took a bite.

As much as I tried to maintain a casual expression… it was delicious.

But, I wasn't about to tell him that as I just tried to keep myself as casual as possible as I replied, a slight smirk coming through, "Honestly… not bad."

He grinned back at me as he responded, "Glad you enjoy it. Although as much as I hate to admit, our cook Isobel does make it _so_ much better. I have many talents, but cooking was never something I focused too heavily on. Everyone in my family was always _much_ too busy with careers, athletics, or lessons that having time to prepare meals was something that was a near impossibility. We've had a few cooks, but we hired her once we came to live in Canada. Although she's probably been my favorite and is practically like my second mother. She would always set aside snacks for me whenever I wanted something. Made my brothers quite jealous."

I gave him a look as I playfully remarked, " _Wow_ , admitting someone is _actually_ better than you at something? Your cook must be pretty good then for even _you_ to admit that."

He gave me a similar look back as he chuckled before admitting, "I have no problem admitting that about Isobel. But, happy to hear you enjoy my take on it. Oh, how tactless of me, I forgot the most important part."

I gave him a weird look as he got up from the table before returning just as quickly with two wine glasses and a bottle of wine. He grinned as he set a glass out for each of us and opened the bottle before saying, "To quote my father, ' _No fine meal should be eaten without a good glass of wine'._ And since we're celebrating your birthday, I think this should also call for my personal favorite wine. Hope you're a fan of Moscato?"

He poured us each a glass as I continued to feel like my mind was contorting in disbelief.

Considering Moscato is literally my wine of choice… ugh, will he stop it?!

But, I _somehow_ maintained my composure as I grabbed my glass and he held his out to me before saying, a grin spread across his face, "To your birthday, _mi cariña_."

We both toasted, even though I was still suspicious as all get out by literally _everything_.

And to make it worse, I took a sip and… _dammit, even his choice of wine is fantastic_.

We got through dinner and I was just going to chuck all of that up to just weird coincidences… until he suggested we watch a movie together.

At first I was going to roll my eyes when he suggested that, thinking he was just using that as some lame-ass excuse to try and make a move on me or something… until I saw the movie he picked out.

_Scrollsaw III._

I whipped my head over at him and gave him a beyond suspicious glare.

Okay, not that this whole day hasn't been _sufficiently_ weird, but this date _definitely_ takes the cake.

Even before the dinner or _even before_ we got here and I was refusing to talk to him in the car after a certain point, he said he was going to put on some music.

At first I thought he was going to play whatever he wanted, until he completely bypassed the latin radio station he had it on before tuning it directly to this 80's pop hits station, my ultimate guilty pleasure music… and also something _I_ never mentioned to him ever and with _everything else_ he pulled out of his ass tonight on _what I like_ , especially with knowing my _exact_ favorite movie out of the series… I'm calling BS right now.

He gave me a look back and asked, "What? This is your favorite movie, is it not?"

I just continued to give him a look as I crossed my arms before directing, "Yes, but what _I_ want to know is how the hell _you_ knew it was? And while we're at it, how did you know my favorite music genre, food, and that I like sweet wines considering I _never_ told you? Seriously, what?! Are you stalking me or something?"

I was almost taken off guard when he leaned closer to me and said, "Heather, I have done no such thing. I merely wanted to make the weekend enjoyable for you for your birthday… so I got some very _useful information_ from quite the _reliable source_ to assist me… and quite successfully it seems thus far."

I scoffed before retorting, shoving him away slightly as I crossed my arms, "Would that 'source' also happen to be my mother?"

Then I was completely thrown off when he smirked and looked off in the opposite direction as he said, "Actually no, but I must admit the source was still _quite reliable_."

I continued to give him a glare, wondering what the hell he was talking about, before he said, "Come now, Heather. I only wanted to know to ensure you had a good time. Not to mention, I'm not much of a _movie junkie_ personally since I never had much time to watch movies. And I've never seen these in particular. But, considering they're _your_ favorite… I'm willing to give them a try."

I was going to continue to make remarks until my eyes went wide as I pulled something that he just said before questioning, "Wait, you've gotta be kidding? You've been alive for 21 years and you've _seriously_ never seen _one_ of the _Scrollsaw_ movies? Like not even _once_? Not even one time ironically before Halloween at the movies or anything like a total poser?"

He just smirked and shrugged as he said, "Again, I never had much time for movies in past years. So I apologize if that comes as a disappointment."

All I kept doing was giving him a look before I scoffed and said, taking the remote from him, " _Disappointment?_ More like complete blasphemy. If you're going to watch these, then it _needs_ to be in order. My favorite really kind of goes back and forth between 3 and 4, but you really need to see 1 and 2 in order to get the… what?"

He was just smiling at me before he eventually said, "Nothing… nothing at all."

After that he just sat back and gave me a smirk as he motioned to the TV again before saying, "Well, then, if my lack of knowledge on this subject is _inexcusable_ to you… then perhaps you should _educate_ me?"

" _Oh_ , gladly." I replied and smirked to myself as I sat back and cued up the original _Scrollsaw,_ not even caring that he was doing the cliché move of putting his arm around my shoulders right now.

I haven't watched the first _Scrollsaw_ in years and I was going to enjoy every second of nostalgia I could get from it.

_**90 minutes later** _

I was still sitting back as the credits started rolling, and honestly the movie was almost nothing by comparison to me watching Alejandro.

At the start, I thought _Señor weak stomach_ wasn't going to be able to take the gore… but after the first 15 minutes, he completely let go of me and was practically locked into watching the movie the whole time.

Seriously he was just staring at the TV, leaning forward with his elbows resting on his knees and resting his chin on his hands for nearly the whole movie.

I shut the TV off as I started, "Thoughts?"

He looked back at me, his eyes wide as he said, sounding skeptical yet also completely _intrigued_ , "That was the most cryptically twisted yet _fascinating_ thing I have ever seen… how many of these did you say there were?"

I smirked, feeling satisfied with myself, before saying, "Eight so far… Ninth one is still in the works. But if you thought _this_ was twisted, wait until you get to 3 and 4."

He sat back next to me with his arms crossed before admitting, "Well… then colour me intrigued, Heather. I think I'll have to make some time to watch these just to see what you're talking about."

I continued to smirk as I said, "Glad to see you're cultured enough to appreciate this. People can say what they want, but I've always had to admit… psycho knows how to plan ahead."

I looked over at him to say something else until my expression dropped and my eyes went wide as I felt his hand caress the side of my face, smoothing his thumb slowly over my right cheek.

He grinned slightly as he said, "Well, then perhaps we should make more time to do something _like this_ more often…" I had no idea what was going on with me.

His green eyes just kept me locked there as he slowly leaned in and pressed his lips against mine.

But, right as I felt him try to lean more into me, I finally got a hold of myself and pulled away as I tried not to look at him, even though all I could feel were his eyes just locked onto me like a missile to a target.

I slid his hand off my face as I said, trying to come up with any excuse to leave after… _whatever that was_ , "I'm tired."

I tried to get up and walk to my room until I froze when I felt him grab my hand and say, his tone low, "Heather, wait."

I could feel my face start to heat up, but I was determined to squash it down as I turned to face him as I said, "What? I'm going to bed."

"I know, but… just one more thing and I promise I'll let you do whatever you wish." He said, his eyes bearing into me and sounding nothing but serious.

_Crap…_

I swallowed hard to get myself under control with whatever the hell is happening to me right now, but I was determined to do whatever it took at this point to just get him to leave me alone for the sake of my self-control.

" _What?_ " I responded, knowing I sounded short.

But, I didn't care… I just wanted to get the hell out of this room and away from him.

All of a sudden he let go of my hand and pulled out his phone before I heard a violin set of a song I recognized so well from when I learned the tango in Junior League.

He held out his hand to me as he asked, "Dance with me. Just one tango is all I ask, Heather. If you'll allow me?"

_Stay focused Heather… don't let him get to you. Just do this one stupid request and call it a night._

I rolled my eyes before scoffing and grabbing his hand before saying, "Fine… just _one._ "

He grinned as we got into first position together before commenting, "Again… _one_ is all I ask."

We haven't done anything like this since we were at that club on that first date, but that was all mostly salsa dancing which involves quite a bit more quick movements and usually allows for some _personal space_ at certain intervals.

But a tango… it's probably one of the most _intimate_ styles of dance.

I remember the _many_ times when I did this with Shane for Junior League and the amount of physical _closeness_ and direct eye contact being involved between you and your partner was _imperative_ , and that was never a big deal for me when I danced with Shane.

But with Alejandro?... _Dammit Heather, why the hell did you agree to do this with him?!_

We kept going in step around the living area as he didn't even break eye contact for a second. But no way in hell was I going to just let him have this type of power or control over me. I maintained my eye contact right back at him as we continued and did a pivot as I went into doing a high leg wrap, trying to show him he wasn't the only one in control.

I was expecting him to make some kind of remark or give me a completely ' _full of himself'_ smirk, but… his expression was just _blank_ , like he was fully concentrating _everything_ on me as his eyes _still_ didn't break any contact with me for anything.

But I was determined to not look away and let him call me out.

The song was almost ending and I felt him about ready to close as I decided to take my own lead as I gave him a hard look when he pulled me close and wrapped my right leg around his left and put us in an 'open legs' end figure like what Shane and I did from our routine years ago, except I idiotically forgot that I _wasn't_ with Shane who had no interest in me whatsoever just like I did toward him and made nothing weird about it.

I was immediately taken off guard when Alejandro just turned me underneath him into a variation on an Argentine dip.

Which wouldn't be a big deal if it wasn't for my leg clinging to his lower back at this point and him just locking eyes with me now more than ever as I just stared right back at him.

He kept holding me there and I was trying to figure out what the hell he was doing until I saw him slowly but surely start leaning toward me.

_No… NO! Dammit HEATHER! STOP IT! GET OUT! You can't just..._

My entire thought process was completely cut off when he kissed me and slowly brought us back to an upright position and pulled me completely against him, keeping his one arm wrapped around my waist and moving his hand that used to be holding onto mine on the back of my head, slowly weaving his fingers into my hair.

I tried pretty much desperately at this point to not reciprocate anything and hold my ground with him… until he pulled back from me, and putting his lips next to my ear, his breathing picked up, and said in a low voice just completely dripping with almost near _desperate_ desire _,_ " _Heather..."_

I didn't even realize we somehow staggered into the hall as he pressed me into the wall and started lingering his lips over my neck, making me bite my lip as I tried to maintain and fight for any bit of self-control I had left.

I don't care how much I've thought of or disgustingly fantasized about something like this with him countless times in the sickest and most demented parts of my stupid head… I can't do this.

I CAN'T! DAMMIT HEATHER! RESIST! YOU IDIOT, DO SOMETHING?!

I grit my teeth as I said, even though I hated how everything was sounding as I just felt _weak_ , "N-no! W-we can't do thi…"

He cut me off as I felt his ragged breathing next to my right ear as I heard him say, hearing nothing but almost _desperation_ and _want_ coming from him with almost a tinge of seriousness at what he brought up, "Heather... don't make this 'first class' all over again."

My eyes went wide at him bringing _that_ up right now, making me bite my lip.

 _Ugh… why the hell is he bringing_ that _back up?_

As I continued to fight practically everything that was threatening my self control, he said, "Don't deny it, Heather. Don't deny me… _us._ "

I felt him graze his teeth on my earlobe slightly like he did when we were in my room a couple days ago until he rested his forehead against mine, making my eyes open on reflex only to see him looking right at me.

His eyes had almost a glaze of hazy focus reflecting everything I heard in his voice but boiled down to something that was both freaking me out and sickly driving me insane at the same time.

 _Desire_.

I had no idea what was going on with me as he just leaned in almost teasingly and painstakingly slow before kissed me again.

It was slow but almost powerful as he kept practically pressing me into the wall more and more as he drifted down to my neck again as he heard him breathe out an almost strangled sigh before saying against my neck, smoothing his hands down my sides, " _Te necesito_."

My eyes went wide again as I heard that while he kept kissing my neck before working his way back up to my lips.

_Dammit… WHAT THE HELL DO I DO?!_

I've never seen Alejandro like this before.

Just seeing him with this soft yet serious and desperate _want_ radiating off him, but… I'd be lying to myself if it wasn't _completely_ getting to me too.

He kept smoothing his hands over my sides as he kept pressing me more and more into the wall.

Until my eyes completely rolled to the back of my head as I felt him smooth his right hand over the side of my hip before smoothing it down my thigh before taking my leg at the knee and lifting it until he had me hooking it around his waist.

_C'mon Heather, don't do this… you can't do this… you…_

My lips parted for just a second and I immediately felt his tongue slip past my lips and smooth over mine, clearly trying to get a reaction out of me to reciprocate… and then I heard him let out a deep sigh through his nose that got an involuntary sigh out of me.

It was like everything in every part of my physicality was resisting me right now as I smoothed my hands up from his chest and wrapped them around his neck.

I wasn't in control anymore, not even close.

It didn't matter how much I was trying to deny this now... _This_ was happening.

_Ugh... shit._

I practically locked my arms around his neck as I pressed my lips roughly back against his, hearing a groan resonate in his throat as we both just started stumbling around, hitting _something_ and pretty much knocking things off the walls every few feet.

And the more we both got wrapped up in whatever the hell was happening between us, the less I cared about trying to make this stop.

Half the time I had no idea what was even happening anymore.

Our hands were just touching anything and everything we could on each other, until I don't think either of us could take it anymore as we both just started tugging each other's clothes off in almost a crazed and pathetically desperate frenzy.

Even though by the time both of us threw his shirt away, I just completely went on impulse and smoothed my hands down his front and making him groan again before saying my name under his breath, making this huge wave of satisfaction run over me and I didn't even care about admitting that at this point.

_Ugh, he could do almost anything to me right now and I wouldn't even care…_

I heard a door open and guessed we probably somehow managed to get to his room.

But even that didn't stop the situation as my lips already felt like they were getting swollen as we both just kept putting our hands all over each other.

I didn't even notice I was pretty much half-naked at that point until I felt him take it further when I felt him unhook my bra and toss it away almost violently as he pulled me against him and making both of us sigh at just the skin to skin contact between us.

It was like I was so caught up in it that it caught me off guard for a second when we both fell onto his bed together, probably looking completely insane.

He smoothed his hand down my back, making me sigh, until my eyes went wide again as I felt him hook his finger on the waistband of my panties before trying to stretch his reach as much as he could before taking them off me.

_Don't show any weakness in front of him, Heather._

_You know he'd just love to rub it in your face if he knew the truth about you with what you technically still are. And dammit that is NOT going to happen over my dead fucking body!_

It wasn't until this point that I felt him climb on top of me before frantically but strategically drifting his lips down my body until I felt him get off me.

My eyes opened for the first time in minutes only to see him standing at the foot of the bed with his mouth partially open and just _staring_ at me, his eyes practically hungry as he looked like he was taking every inch of me in… and that alone was pathetically turning me on like no other.

I was almost so distracted by him looking at me that I hardly noticed him frantically unbuckling his belt and and taking off his pants.

Well, until I saw him reach into the back pocket of his pants first as he took out his wallet and my eyes went wide at him pulling out an unmistakable foil condom packet and quickly tearing it open before tossing the wrapper and his wallet aside before just as frantically taking off his pants and boxer-briefs and putting the condom on, still not looking away from me for a second as he crawled back on top of me.

Pretty much grazing the tip of his nose up the center of my body until he was face to face with me again before dipping his face down to my neck, kissing me and mumbling things in Spanish I could hardly make out because of how slurred they came out as he smoothed his hands over any and every part of my body he could touch, making an involuntary moan escape me.

_Wait… what am I doing?! Why am I just laying here and just letting him?!..._

At that moment, my eyes shot open when I felt him graze the inside of my thigh, making me realize in full force what was about to happen and that we literally hit the _point of no return_ at this point.

After years of trying to resist everything… _this_ was happening.

_Ugh, I'm so screwed… in literally every way possible at this point._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, looks like both Heather and Alejandro cracked in their own ways as they gave into each other. But honestly… I know people in the past that write scenes like this with Aleheather in different ways. But to me, whenever I picture Alejandro and Heather getting into their first sexual encounter together and after the amount of sexual tension that was shown between them even to a degree in the show and straight up denial from Heather despite her being just as into him too… I just picture both of them just having that moment where it's just them completely being frantically all over each other. And it appears that Alejandro was finally able to get Heather to give into her true feelings toward him, even though Heather was still trying to stubbornly resist her attraction toward him like she always does, but that's Heather for you, right? And not like Alejandro was seeming anymore in control since it was clear even he was showing how much he really wanted her as well. And this is exactly why I love these two. They're like a deadly yet perfect atomic bomb of denial and sexual tension with their feelings for each other. Lol. XD But, at the same time, I also wanted to write just a general chapter like this for them to show them as just a couple on their own, since I could see Alejandro and Heather outside of Total Drama actually getting to a point where they would actually get along and have things in common together by just being themselves. Again, not to crap on TDAS again, but the way they had both Alejandro and Heather act in the finale with them being all lovey dovey was so not… them, like at all. At least not to me. When they were getting along in the finale of All Stars it just seemed like they both no longer had their real and true personalities. So, I just wanted to show the two of them doing some very normal things like having dinner and also enjoying each other's company while watching a movie while still being the Alejandro and Heather we all know and love. To be honest, when I first read Heather's TDWT profile and it said her favorite movies were the Scrollsaw movies (Parody of Saw)... honestly, I thought it was almost too perfect for her. Heather is kind of a twisted sadist in her own way and I could totally see her enjoying those kinds of movies, and also Alejandro probably liking them too since he's just as twisted as she is. Thus they are literally a perfect match, not that I'm biased. Lol. XD Anyway, I hoped you enjoyed my portrayal of Aleheather in this! Also, I hope you liked how I showed this latest addition of 'Alejandro tricks Heather' as he managed to enlist the help of Heather's parents, particularly Heather's mother to help him execute his plan of getting Heather to unknowingly go away with him for the weekend. And that Heather's parents practically celebrated getting her out of the house for the weekend. After seeing Heather's parents partying in Heather's absence in their video message to her in TDI, I see them as parents that while they probably do love Heather as their daughter in their way… they're also both just intimidated and terrified of her in some way at the same time and want to try anything they can to get her out of the house. Particularly since Alejandro seemed more than happy to oblige in helping take her away, even if just for the weekend. Haha. XD Anyway, I left some hints to things in this chapter that I will cover later on. I know, I say that a lot it seems like, but I am creating a Total Drama/Aleheather puzzle of drama and intrigue right now and I am SO enjoying it! XD Anyway, hope you all are prepared for the next chapter, no spoilers, but let's just say many of you will finally get to see what you've been asking about since I started writing this fanfic… and I'll just leave it at that. ;) Anyway, just thanks to all of you so much again for all the incredible support and feedback on this fanfic. You have no idea how much it means to me that you all enjoy reading this as much as I'm enjoying writing it for probably my favorite ship ever. As always, thanks for reading and constructive feedback is always appreciated! Hope you all are staying safe and well!
> 
> Stay Classy!
> 
> Dexter1995


	11. Signals

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright, I'll try not to be a blubbering bleeding heart this time and write a biblical length A/N. Haha. But, for real, just thanks again a million times to every last one of you since you literally have no idea how much it means to me with all the positivity I've received on this fanfic. And to those of you who 'apologize' for supposedly 'reviewing late'... PLEASE don't apologize ever! The fact that you all take the time to even review and give me feedback at all is just awesome within itself and is always so very much appreciated. Anyway, on with the fanfic, and as you can see by the new POV up ahead… I'll leave you to make your guesses on what's up and what's going to happen. Haha. ;) Hope you all enjoy!

**(Alejandro's POV)**

I could feel the sun coming through the window and hitting my face as I slowly opened my eyes and looked at my alarm clock. 8:07 am.

_Ay, Dios mío… I slept in._

I don't think I've slept in past 8 AM since I was 13.

I was about to sit up when I felt my bed shift behind me and heard a groggy sigh mixed with a feminine yet also familiar slight groan, making my eyes go wide for a moment as I recalled _something_ I completely skipped over.

And how could I _possibly_ forget?

Slowly, I glanced over my shoulder and saw Heather sleeping next me on her side facing toward me. Her expression was still somehow 'cold' in a way but also more 'relaxed' than I've ever seen it.

Either way… she really is beautiful.

I tried to not make any sudden abrupt movements to disturb her as I slowly turned onto my opposite side to face her, almost not believing this was _actually_ occurring in front of me at the moment.

All I kept doing was stare at her, almost to make sure I wasn't completely losing my mind, before I eventually couldn't stop the corners of my mouth from curling up in a satisfied smile.

I tried to slide myself closer to her as subtly as possible to avoid waking her up still, as I just kept looking at her.

Just _taking her in._

As much as I tried to resist, I couldn't help myself as I reached out and caressed her cheek slightly only for her to let out a slight grunt and groggily smack my hand away in her sleep before balling up the sheets in her hand and pulling them closer to herself, watching her brows crease together slightly in involuntary annoyance.

I smiled and laughed quietly to myself as I said out loud, softly yet still _quite_ amused, "Well… nice to see you're still yourself regardless, _mi amor."_

I propped myself up on my elbow as I just kept trying to take in _everything_ about this, about her _._ As much as I hate to admit I'm still shocked… I couldn't help it, particularly after _last night_.

Because last night with her… _indescriptible._

I had no other way of trying to comprehend how it felt to be with her like this.

Then again, when has anything with Heather and I _ever_ been simple? My feelings toward her for sure never have been, _that_ is for certain.

Sure from the beginning when I first encountered Heather and saw her _work_ on the show from the past, the _physical_ attraction was there, even I'll admit that just from an honest _male perspective_ about her.

But it wasn't until I saw her _in action_ that my interest in her only increased. Just truly seeing how calculated, ruthless, competitive, and _opportunistic_ she is, just as _I_ am.

Heather _fascinated_ me.

She still does… _completely_.

But, as much as she challenged me and threatened to weaken my power in the competition… it was like I couldn't resist.

She really was the greatest adversary in any competition I had ever encountered… with the exception of _someone_. But outside my family, Heather truly was my greatest competition… and I both immensely respected and resented her for it during that third season.

Heather just has this ability to dig into me, _weaken me._

Then even after _everything_ that happened during the finale… it was like I couldn't push her out of my mind.

Even before I heard my father's _opinion_ on my _actions_ , I won't lie when I say that the whole _ordeal_ really fueled my _conflictions_ toward Heather especially.

When I was in the hospital those first 6 months, I had no idea how to feel about her.

One moment I'd be almost fantasizing about her through the pain, _wanting_ her, and yet also hated myself for even feeling that way toward her still.

It was like I wanted to see her yet also wanted to completely destroy her at the same time, thinking she was the sole cause of everything that happened to me… until I had my _realization_.

My father was right.

I really was a fool… and I didn't stop being _a fool_ until just recently.

Even when I saw her again this past season a couple months back and managed to turn everyone against her and have her eliminated right off the bat at the third elimination.

I expected to just feel complete satisfaction and absolute vindication yet… I felt _nothing_.

Because as much as I wanted to resent her… I couldn't. After everything Heather and I have done to each other to get ahead in the game, I _couldn't_ resent her anymore.

But, that's all unimportant now and not even worth discussing to me anymore. Because I know how I truly feel about her now.

My mother would probably tell me I'm completely loco for how I feel about Heather if I were to tell her in all honesty, but I don't care.

Because I'm _very_ well aware of what Heather's like.

She's cold, she's mean, she's rude, she's _insufferably_ stubborn, she's painfully frustrating to the point of nearly making me lose my mind sometimes… and I am _completely_ in love with her.

I know I may have told her I loved her over 3 years ago in Hawaii, but that was just pathetic teenage naivety by comparison to how I feel about her now.

Even when I spent all those agonizing years recovering and was hardly able to go anywhere outside the house until I was cleared about 3 months before the new season started… she filled every corner of my mind.

At times all I did was just think about her.

Where she was, how she was, if she was thinking about me?… It was almost constant.

I've never felt this way about anyone before on this level… and once I finally came to that official conclusion after I got sent home after my elimination, I had to do something. More than anything, I wanted to be with her, _exclusively_.

But, I knew _that_ was going to be tedious.

 _Very_ tedious.

I knew just going up to Heather and just asking her if she wanted to date me was _never_ going to work for a variety of _many_ different reasons, considering her feelings toward me are just as complicated as mine toward her. Though in her case, she's just too bullheaded and proud to admit anything that could make her appear to have any sort of _weakness_.

Even if it meant rejecting me endlessly until the day one or both of us ceased to exist, so… I came up with an _offer_ she couldn't refuse.

Somehow, I still managed to get what I wanted while also giving her _incentive_ , and what better incentive for her than if I failed on a date that she would be able to reject me for good?

I had to admit, my plan was _quite_ brilliant. _And_ to which that failure never happened.

As much as trying to calculate any and all possibilities to avoid that failure was quite _challenging…_ even I enjoyed it in a way. Just having that _thrill of the chase_ she's always been able to give me _._

Heather and I have always been able to challenge each other and I always respected that about her. Just like I know she has that similar respect toward me in her own way.

We truly are equals in every way possible.

And now… I'm finally _enjoying the result_.

Sure last night I know I maybe came off a bit _too much_ in a way with showing how much I wanted her, _needed_ her… _desperately,_ and the fact that I haven't had sex since I was 18 almost 19 before I got on _Total Drama_ and then spent 3 years in near agonizing pain was also a _contributing factor_ along with my complete _desire_ for her.

But she wanted me just as much too.

No matter how much she was trying to continue to deny us, I wanted to show her how _right_ we are together. Even before we both _gave in_ last night, as I went out with Heather, talked to Shane about her, and tried to get a better understanding of her these past few weeks, it only confirmed to me how perfectly matched we were for each other.

We have more in common than I had ever anticipated and we honestly get along quite well on our own if our afternoon and evening together yesterday meant anything in that regard.

Not to mention she is an _impeccable_ dancer and probably the only dance partner I've ever had who could match my skill.

Even her introducing me to her favorite movies and actually genuinely enjoying them personally myself was something even _I_ didn't anticipate but was pleasantly surprised about.

And after last night… how could she deny me now?

Being with her… I have never had anything remotely come close to touching the absolute _perfection_ and _satisfaction_ that was that entire _experience_ of being with her. And I could tell I wasn't _alone_ in that feeling based on what I noticed from _her end_.

All my other _curiosities_ aside on a certain _aspect_ , I was willing to leave it for now...

 _Now_ , I was just enjoying the _reward for my patience_ … and _I_ was determined to keep things this way.

She was still sleeping and as much as I wanted nothing more than to stay right here with her, I had to make everything about this morning perfect in order to completely _seal it_.

Slowly, I sat up and my eyes went wide as I finally looked up and saw the current _state_ of my room, particularly around and on the bed.

Pretty much the only things left on my bed were the sheets, but even the flat sheet was only hanging on by the bottom corner on her side of the bed. My comforter was laying completely off to the side in a heap on the floor and our clothes, well _some of them,_ were also strewn about the room.

I chuckled a little to myself in amusement when I saw her bra slung over the door handle to the closet from when I tossed it away last night.

I slowly tried to get up, and started to put my clothes back on, well, at least my boxer-briefs and pants at a minimum. I tried to do a little cleaning up and get my wallet back into my pocket.

Although that was not even close to comparing to the hall by the time I walked out. Luckily nothing was broken, but both our shirts and her shorts she was wearing were strewn over the floor and pictures and wall decorations were also laying on the floor as I let out another amused chuckle.

 _Wow…_ _last night truly was_ something _._

But, I decided to at least be a good _novio_ and pick up and fold her clothes and put mine back on.

I went back into my room and laid her clothes by her feet at the foot of the bed for whenever she woke up. I was about to walk out until I looked at her again.

Again, I couldn't help myself as I walked over to her side and leaned over her before slowly and carefully kissing the top of her head, catching the residual yet still _lovely_ smell of the shampoo and conditioner she uses.

Slowly, I pulled back and looked at her for a second, just to make sure she was still asleep and it definitely seemed like she still was.

Well I could get started on some breakfast for us, I suppose? But the entire way to the kitchen, I just couldn't help myself as I broke out in a huge grin.

I just felt… _fantastic._

And how could I not feel that way?

My plan went off practically without a hitch!

I'm with Heather now, we had an _incredible_ night together last night, and it seemed like she finally saw things my way to want to be with me.

Life is absolutely _perfecto_ as far as I'm concerned.

I walked into the kitchen and kept catching myself humming as I was getting something together for us to eat when I saw something breeze past out of the corner of my eye past the archway leading into the kitchen.

I quirked up an eyebrow as I glanced over and saw nothing but heard _scuffling._

_She's awake. Maybe she's trying to find me?_

I smirked at the thought before I walked out of the kitchen while saying, "Buenos días, mi a… mor?"

My eyes went wide as I saw Heather fully dressed with her hair pulled back in a ponytail by the front door hastily putting her shoes on, her overnight bag right next to her on the floor, and her now staring wide eyed right back at me.

I gave her a slight look and tilted my head at her in confusion.

_Is she… going somewhere?_

I was about to say something and ask her what she was doing, until she immediately grabbed one of my boots next to her at the mat and just instantly threw it at me before I could even react, hitting me _hard_ and square on the jaw with the heel.

"Ay, carajo!" I exclaimed on reflex at how much that _really_ hurt as I stumbled back and held my chin.

I had no other time to ponder why the _hell_ she just did that to _me_ since I just saw the front door fly open and her just taking off in a dead sprint with her bag… and I immediately ran after her.

"HEATHER?!" I called out as I tried to catch up, which was not easy since Heather is _quite_ fast _._

Though I was taking the lead over her most of the time when we did that hurdle event against each other in Greece, Heather was actually _amazingly_ keeping up with me and taking each hurdle on with impressive skill. Which I always wondered about until I saw a picture of Heather on her wall in her room racing in a hurdle event in a high school track uniform.

But, I had no time to dwell on that now since I was still trying to figure out WHAT THE HELL WAS WRONG WITH HER?!

I eventually caught up with her and practically had to tackle her into the grass out front, considering she was refusing to heed to my requests of getting her to stop and talk to me.

I tried to get a hold on her only for her to elbow me in the stomach, nearly knocking the wind out of me.

_Well, at least she didn't hit me in the cojones this time._

She was able to shove me off enough and try to run when I grabbed her by the ankle and pulled her back, causing her to fall slightly as I pulled her back toward me… and also making me realize that to any _outside perspective_ , this probably doesn't look good.

In my defense; however,… SHE STARTED THIS!

"UGH! WILL YOU LET GO OF ME?!" She practically snarled at me as she dug her fingers into the ground and was staring daggers at me, and making me all the more angry and confused.

"Not until _you_ tell me why you just threw one of my boots at me?! What are you even doing?!" I ground out, knowing I've long since lost my patience with her at this stage.

Again, I love her… but that chica also drives me completely LOCO sometimes!

"I don't _want_ to talk to _you_! I'm _trying_ to get away from _you_!" She snarled at me again, still resisting me with everything she had.

 _Get away from me?_...

"Get away?… And just _where_ could you possibly be going?! I drove us here! What were you planning on doing anyway? Run home?" I shot back sarcastically, getting completely testy with her.

"Run, walk... WHATEVER?! I will hitchhike with a damn axe murderer in a sketchy van if I have to! Now let GO!" She exasperated and kicked me right across the face with her free foot.

I recoiled slightly, but pushed through it and I shot up as she looked like she was about to run and grab her bag again.

_Not on my watch..._

"Heather, will you just… STOP IT?!" I yelled out in annoyed frustration, practically feeling like I was scolding her at this point, and managed to grab her from behind.

At this point, I was holding her with every bit of strength I had as she was resisting me with everything she had… and also practically swearing at me using every curse word she knew, and she knew _quite_ a lot since I wasn't hearing many being repeated.

But… I don't understand?

Why was she so angry with me right now?

Sure Heather's usually angry with me most of the time, but that's just _how she is…_ which usually I like. Honestly, to an extent, I love how she plays _hard to get_ with me.

But right now… I was _not_ amused.

"LET! ME! GO!" She strained out in parts through her teeth.

_That does it._

I grit my teeth and practically lifted her slightly before turning her around to face me and secured her against me with my arms, making her finally go silent.

_Well… that's a start._

I kept staring her down as I responded, _very_ adamant, " _No_ , Heather. I will not let go until you talk to me."

My eyes progressively kept narrowing at her, only for her to narrow her eyes back at me as she shoved me off of her. "Oh, you want to talk to me? _Fine,_ Alejandro _._ Let's _talk_. And let's start by telling me what the HELL YOUR DEAL IS ALREADY?!"

I gave her a beyond confused and agitated look as I responded in a similar tone, "Pardon? You were the one who just threw my boot at me for no reason at all!"

"Oh you are _so_ full of shit! YOU should know _exactly_ what I'm talking about! I don't see you for 3 damn years and you just _waltz back in_ this past season and try to play into an alliance with me only for you to completely dick me over. Then all of a sudden 2 more months pass and you just show up to my parents house and _cozy up_ to them and then pull this stupid DATE BULLSHIT on me completely out of nowhere and did nothing but play mind games with me all month and trick me into going out with you repeatedly! _Then_ you somehow got me out here and managed to _get with me_ last night after _buttering me up_ with my favorite things… WHAT?! WHAT ELSE DO YOU POSSIBLY WANT FROM ME?! WHY WON'T YOU JUST LEAVE ME ALONE ALREADY?!"

"BECAUSE I'M IN LOVE WITH YOU, YOU INSUFFERABLE BRUJA!" I snapped, hitting my limit with her.

It was dead silent except for birds chirping in some nearby trees.

Her whole expression dropped but she was completely owl-eyed as she stared at me, taking in what I just confessed.

I decided to take the opportunity of her silence as I continued, "Heather, I don't want to talk to you about anything from the past. Because I don't care about any of that trivial nonsense anymore. What matters is what's here and now between us. Because I'm serious."

Really wanting to seal my point, I walked right up to her and grabbed her right hand in both of mine as I looked right into her eyes and reiterated, sounding sincere yet serious as possible, "I love you, Heather. I love you and I want nothing more than to be with you. And I know you love me too. You're just too stubborn to admit it."

She ripped her hand away from mine and crossed her arms as she narrowed her eyes at me before scoffing and saying, "Seriously? We sleep together once and you think that must mean I'm in love with you? How much of an egocentric jerk are you that you think that I'd feel that way about you from just _that?!_ "

I felt my chest almost tighten as my jaw clenched, trying to keep myself under control.

I managed to recompose myself as I responded, "That's not even what I was talking about at all… well, not _entirely_ at least. Though... did what happened last night between us mean _nothing_ to you? Because I don't believe that for a second, Heather. But... that's not even the point either! All I want to know is if you love me too like I know you do, like we _both_ know. Everything else means absolutely nothing."

After almost a full minute of nothing but dead silence, I realized I might as well have been having a conversation with a rock at this point.

All she did was cross her arms and look anywhere but at me, _completely_ giving me the cold shoulder.

_WHAT IS HER PROBLEM?!_

My chest just felt like it kept getting tighter and tighter the more I kept looking at her, almost feeling like I was suffocating.

I scrunched my eyes shut and ran my hand through my hair, feeling my frustration building before I just said, almost talking through my teeth at points, "Okay Heather, _fine_. Clearly this was a gigantic waste then. You want to go home? _Fine then_. Allow me to _assist you_ in your _wishes._ "

I immediately strutted over to my car and opened the passenger side door for her, my chest continuing to tighten as my blood felt like it was boiling at this point.

She finally glanced at me, scowling and narrowing her eyes at me as she retorted through her teeth and grabbed her bag, " _Good._ "

Once she got in the car, I immediately slammed her door shut _hard_ , feeling _done._

I practically stomped back inside to get my boots and my keys and on my way out even involuntarily kicked the gravel up from the drive at a certain point.

After that I got in the car, I did nothing to try to acknowledge her existence since she was still clearly _not_ acknowledging mine… or anything else with me apparently?!

_Dammit..._

_**1 hour and 15 minutes later** _

**(Heather's POV)**

After probably the most painfully awkward and silent car ride in the history of time, we finally pulled back into my parents' driveway as he put the car in park.

He was still just staring in front of him intensely with an otherwise blank expression as his hands gripping the steering wheel were clenched so tight that his knuckles were turning white, not even doing anything to acknowledge me still.

But… ugh, FINE. WHATEVER?!

He did this! None of this crap would have ever happened if he would've just left me the hell alone!

I got out of the car with my bag and it wasn't even 5 seconds as I heard his engine rev as he sped out of the driveway so fast he nearly drifted out into the street before practically stepping on it out of my street and my neighborhood.

_Geez… 'touchy'._

WHAT?! _I_ didn't ask for any of this shit! _He_ started this!

He just _had_ to mess with me with all these stupid dates, _had_ to get in my damn head, _had_ to cause me to… UGH! DAMMIT!

I walked into the house and immediately slammed the door and kicked off my shoes as I stomped up the stairs with a one track mind to get to my room and not talk to anyone.

"Hey sis, what's your deal ? Little _honeymoon trip_ with _Zorro_ end so soon?" I heard Damien remark.

I stopped at the top of the stairs and robotically looked over to see him giving me a smartass, teasing smirk as he leaned against the wall. My blood was boiling as I just turned to him and immediately shoved him into the wall with my forearm over his throat.

I felt like knives were flying out of my eyes as my blood continued to boil.

My eyes narrowed even more as I strained out through my teeth while I hit my _absolute_ limit, him just staring at me wide eyed, " _Fuck…_ _off…_ "

I didn't even wait for him to respond as I just pushed off from him and made a direct course for my room, slamming the door behind. I stood there for a few seconds before tossing my bag in some random direction on the floor.

My entire body just felt like a coiled spring as I leaned back against my door and pounded my right fist against it in enraged tension before sliding down to the floor, pulling my knees to my chest.

I looked down and rested my forehead on my knees after a moment before letting out a strained sigh.

_Dammit…_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well… c'mon! This is Aleheather so you knew something was going to happen, right? *Proceeds to hide while all of you ready your pitchforks and torches to hunt me down* Lol. XD But, for real, this chapter was definitely interesting writing the majority of it from Alejandro's perspective for me. While he and Heather do have a lot of similarities between them, he still is all together a completely different character. While he's just as manipulative and calculated as Heather, Alejandro is more relaxed and controlled in the way that he conducts himself… until you push his buttons. Haha. But, he is just as flawed a person as Heather when it comes to his arrogance. Which I hope I got through here when I was trying to put myself in his head with his thoughts and feelings toward Heather. Yes, while their feelings are mutual, Alejandro is by far the hopeless romantic of the two and to me he would have no problem after everything admitting that he loves Heather. But… I wanted to show how he still has a lot of learning to do with his maturity just like Heather does. Did Heather have to fight him and belittle his feelings? No, but her being as stubborn as she is, she'd almost rather die than actually talk to him about her feelings like she should. Whereas Alejandro was just being an arrogant and presumptuous prick in presuming that Heather was just going to accept his feelings with open arms after him tricking her into going on dates with him and eventually leading to them sleeping together. Sure he wasn't wrong that Heather needed that in order to get her to get the picture, but it's still wrong of him to assume. Because in Alejandro's opinion from my vantage point of how he would see it, how could any woman, even Heather, resist him after an amazing night together like they had? But, that's Alejandro for you. He may be a beyond arrogant and full of himself guy… but Heather's a stuck up and full of herself chick with heaps of denial. Either way, things are far from perfect for them at this point. What will happen from here? Stay tuned! As always constructive feedback is always a huge help and just thanks again for taking the time to read. Hope you all are staying safe and doing well!
> 
> Stay Classy!
> 
> Dexter1995
> 
> P.S. I hope I was able to do justice to Alejandro for all you Alejandro fans. While I like Alejandro, Heather is still my favorite. Mostly because writing as Heather is so damn therapeutic for me since her character allows me to unleash my deep down 'inner-mean girl'. Because in reality I am so NOT that. If anything I'm almost crippling too nice. Haha. Seriously if you are stressed and need an outlet, just do a writing or acting exercise pretending to be Heather. Because Heather just says and does all the terrible and bitchy things we all wish we could but don't do because it's mean and just straight up awful… and that's why her character is amazing. Haha. XD


	12. First Class (Flashback)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, I know this chapter may seem like a slap in the face with making you guys wait longer on advancing the plot after all the awesome support you have given this fanfic… but just let me explain. Before I wanted to make this a full fanfic, I was originally going to just make an Aleheather one-shot on something in particular from the show that's one of the most talked about things with the ship, and that was Heather taking Alejandro to first class with her at the conclusion of the episode "Rapa Phooey!". We all remember, correct? Particularly since that was the first time we ever saw Heather actually blush when Alejandro prompted her to. Again, we see you Heather. Lol. ;) But… what did we see from that? From the show's perspective… not jack squat, really? Now I know this is a show meant for a younger audience, but… DISAPPOINTED! DX What? All we got Alejandro sometime during the night when everyone else was asleep photoshopping a picture of Heather and Cody sleeping next to each other in 'loser class' to get Sierra to turn against Heather and then Alejandro offering Heather some of his food the following morning. On the surface as an AlejandroxHeather fan… I was very much disappointed. But, again, this is technically a teen cartoon dialed down for a kid audience and I overanalyze the crap out of everything for no reason at all so whatever, I was willing to cut it some slack… until I noticed something else that I have ZERO idea why almost no one in the fandom ever talks about it, considering it is one of the most subtly hardcore and adult things said in the whole show in my opinion. In "Planes, Trains, and Hot Air Mobiles", after Alejandro found out about and got hypocritically upset with Heather over her voting for him after he was trying to get her voted off in the previous episode before their duet, both of them had a little tiff outside the ruined plane. No surprise with Aleheather, right? But then they started taking digs at each other over the walkie-talkies. And in that exchange was this piece of buried treasure of a clue that even got my attention as a 15 almost 16 year old watching it for the first time when it aired. And I quote:  
> ***  
> Heather: "Blah, Blah, Blah. GUESS WHAT?! I can just turn you off!"
> 
> Alejandro: (sounding testy and spiteful) "Of course you can!... You're an expert at turning people off!"  
> ***  
> Okay, now I don't know about you all?… But, THAT is some TEA if I've ever heard it! Like an entire DAMN TEA POT'S worth of tea! And the look on Heather's face when Alejandro said that?! D: WHY DOES NO ONE EVER TALK ABOUT THAT SEQUENCE OF DIALOGUE HARDLY EVER?! The writers just couldn't slip that in there and just expect me to believe NOTHING happened between Alejandro and Heather in first class! Especially at age 25 now, you still cannot convince me otherwise in my headcanon that nothing happened. To me, there had to have been some interaction that happened between them at some point during that flight when it was just the two of them alone in first class. So... I decided to use this fanfic to finally fully 'dish up' what I thought could have possibly happened between Alejandro and Heather in first class. Remember how in chapter 10 when Heather was still trying to fight her feelings and resisting them despite her wanting Alejandro just as much he wanted her and Alejandro said 'not to make it first class all over again' to Heather? Well… here it is! Thank you for making it through this insanely long A/N of me just venting. You all deserve a trophy and every ounce of my respect for your patience. Haha. Hope you enjoy this flashback regardless! :)

**({No POV})**

It was immediately after the elimination ceremony and everyone went off in their separate directions. Including Heather making a direct b-line for the confessional in the airplane lavatory.

* * *

***{Unseen Confessional: Heather}***

**Heather:** "Look, _don't_ get any ideas! Like I said back there, this is all strategic decision making. As much as I _wish_ I could have picked Cody just to stick Alejandro with _Mrs. Crazytown_ in 'loser class' for the night like he did to _me_ last time!... _That_ is not the _smart idea_ for me right now. At this stage of the game, I can't afford to leave Alejandro on his own to manipulate either Cody or Sierra without me being there to stop it. I made it to the final 4 again and there is _no way_ I am going to let anything slip past me. That mill is SO mine this time, I can taste it."

***{End Confessional}***

* * *

Heather walked out of the confessional and stopped at the threshold leading to first class, pausing for a second.

She scrunched her eyes for a moment and let out a slight sigh before giving herself a nod and straightening up before saying quietly to herself, almost giving herself a pep talk, "Just one night, Heather. Just get through this and the rest of this will be a piece of cake."

Heather finally casually made her way into first class, seeing Alejandro sitting at the bar with a plate in front of him, but had yet to touch his food.

He looked over and saw Heather walking in, causing him to grin and making her give him skeptical glare on reflex, as he said, "Ah Heather, just in time. Dinner was just brought out _and_ its freshly sliced prime rib. As much as it was _tempting_ to start eating, I wanted to make sure I waited for you since it would be _quite_ rude if I started without my host being present. Muchas gracias on the invitation by the way."

Alejandro said, finally slicing up his cut of prime rib and sending a wink Heather's way and making her roll her eyes. Heather sat down and crossed her arms as she scoffed before responding, " _Don't_ let it go to your head. For the last time, _this_ is all strategic. Now, if you don't mind, I'd prefer to enjoy my meal in silence while I _still_ have an appetite."

Alejandro just smirked and responded in a smooth tone, "Of course, my apologies. Not that I blame you though. I must admit, this is quite an excellent cut of prime rib. Slightly pink but not raw, my favorite."

The two then proceeded to eat their meals in silence and at first it looked rather casual until as their meal progressed… Heather kept getting this _feeling._

Almost like _eyes were on her_ literally from one particular _individual_.

She kept looking out of the corner of her eye at Alejandro only to see him every time just looking at his plate with a slight smile on his face as he proceeded to eat his dinner.

Heather; meanwhile, was internally needing to force her food down as her stomach almost felt like it was tightening and turning with each passing second but still looked determined to make it seem like nothing was getting to her.

Both appeared to be finished eating as Alejandro rose from his stool at the bar and said, "Well that was delicious. I'm just going to wash up. I'll be right back."

Heather scoffed and retorted, " _Whatever._ And I would care why?"

Alejandro just grinned slightly and put his hands up in slight defense before saying, "Just keeping you in the know. I'll be back."

With that Alejandro took his toiletry bag and walked out of the first class cabin.

Heather looked like she practically had a truck lifted off her as she breathed out in a groan, " _Finally._ "

She took the opportunity of solitude and proceeded to sit down in one of the chairs in first class and reclined into a relaxed state as she closed her eyes and took a couple deep slow and almost meditative breaths, almost like she was trying to _realign_ herself.

She remained that way for about 10 minutes until she heard Alejandro walk back in, his toiletry bag in hand, and a grin on his face as he said, "I have returned."

Heather just gave him a look as she crossed her arms from where she was as she responded snarkily, " _Whatever_."

She didn't even look to see his reaction as she kept her arms crossed and closed her eyes again, looking determined to ignore him.

Luckily it seemed Alejandro was fine with it as she heard him walk past her until she heard him say after a few beats of silence, sounding intrigued, "Hmm… _interesting_. Heather, you might want to see this."

"Why? What is it?" She called back, looking mildly annoyed and still not looking back to even see what he was talking about.

"Just come here. Trust me, you won't be disappointed." He responded mysteriously as Heather scoffed in annoyance and she took her seat out of the reclined setting and got up as she walked over.

She was completely rolling her eyes in the process of walking, before responding in a matching annoyed tone, " _Fine._ This better be good or else I'm going to be so…"

Heather got completely cut off as she felt her right wrist get grabbed slightly as she was pulled in a certain direction until looked in front of her and saw she was face to face with Alejandro who was now holding her flush against him, her hands resting on his chest at this point as he had his right arm around her waist.

Heather, for once, looked almost so caught off guard that she froze up for a moment until Alejandro slowly lifted his now free left hand to the side of her face, carefully caressing her cheek for a moment.

A smirk slowly crossed his face as he looked right into her eyes and said while now leaning next to her left ear, his tone smooth and almost _seductive,_ "My mistake, Heather. I suppose you're right. Because what could _possibly_ be more _interesting_ than you?"

Heather's eyes went wide as a brief blush came through yet again that day as she felt his lips linger in a teasingly light kiss on the corner of her jaw just below her left ear.

Heather immediately looked like she _snapped out of it_ as she knit her eyebrows and shoved him away before practically snapping at him through her teeth slightly, "Are you insane?! Seriously, what kind of sick joke is this?!"

Alejandro looked taken aback for a moment before quickly recovering his expression and walking toward her and she continued to counter by walking backward with each step he took.

"What makes you think a _joke_ has any part of this? Besides, you're an _opportunistic_ and _intelligent_ woman, Heather. I think you know what's _going on_ here… we _both_ do." Alejandro said, continuing his pacing toward her as Heather kept countering as she responded, "Oh _really?_ Because all I see is an arrogant jerk with an ego so big it seems to block off all common sense from his big fat stupid head."

Alejandro just gave her a look like he completely _saw through her_ and smirked as he responded, "Now Heather, there's no need for us to keep up with this _petty rivalry_ right now, particularly since there's no one else around to even see or hear it. And before you say something, there's no need to worry. While I was out getting myself cleaned up for the evening, I used some _rudimentary '_ videography' and audio tricks I had up my sleeve to make sure we could talk in _private_ without anyone else ever seeing it, at least temporarily. So… how about we be _honest_ for once with each other, shall we?"

Heather looked as if she was about to make a remark until her back hit the back wall of the first class cabin, leaving nowhere else for her to go.

Alejandro stood in front of her, resting his hands on the wall on either side of her and he kept his eyes locked on her.

Though it was clear Heather was having an _inner battle_ with herself… she looked determined to dig in her heels as she responded as defiantly as she could, "What the hell are _you_ talking about, you stupid _jerk_?"

Unfortunately for Heather, Alejandro was too perceptive and was practically seeing right through her usual _mean-girl veneer_ she always presents herself with.

He just smirked and said, almost seductively calling her out as he leaned next to her ear, "Don't lie to me, Heather. Because you are ignorant if you don't think I see the way you _look at me_. And I must confess… it's the _exact_ same way I _look at you_ as well."

Heather's eyes went wide as she saw and then felt him linger his lips against her neck, causing her to dig her fingernails into the wall behind her and bite her bottom lip for a moment as she looked like she was continuing to wage an internal and external war in this current _situation._

She scrunched her eyes shut until her eyes sprung back open as she felt Alejandro, gently take her hands in his and looking like it was giving her _flashbacks_ to the cargo hold after Sweden, the last time she was with Alejandro like this… and the last time she even _remotely_ let her guard with him.

It was almost like Alejandro was reading her mind as he leaned next to her left ear again and said, "I meant what I said to you in the cargo hold, Heather. I have _never_ wanted _anyone_ more than I have wanted you. And… I can see you _feel_ the same way about me too."

Heather made an attempt to keep digging in her heels with him to deny that any of this was happening as she said through a scoff, " _Yeah,_ you wish."

But all that got was a slight chuckle out of Alejandro as he responded, "You _say_ that… but I know the truth. Our feelings are mutual with this Heather, no matter what you say. We both want each other, but... I understand that at this _stage_ in the game, certain things are _out of the cards_. But, _perhaps_ … with a little _imagination_ , we can come to a _temporary truce_ and take advantage of this current opportunity presented to us to… _give in_ to some of those feelings? We still have 20 more minutes of _privacy._ So… what do you say?"

Heather, although still conflicted by her own feelings and scrunching her eyes shut tight, looking as if she was _this_ close to smacking him and giving him a hard 'no' to save her sanity and maintain her remaining self-control… until Alejandro lifted her hands to rest against his chest and wrapped his right arm around her waist to pull her closer.

Heather still looked close to taking a stand to make a last ditch effort to put a stop to the situation until she finally opened her eyes again when she felt his left hand resting on her face and smoothing his thumb almost tantalizingly slow over her right cheek.

She finally looked at his face, expecting to see some cocky and winning smirk on his face… only to see something she didn't expect.

His expression had this almost _neutralized_ look to it and his eyes were hooded but maintained their complete focus on her.

Well, until they closed as he leaned in making her eyes spring open completely as he pressed his lips against hers lightly but with a purpose.

Heather maintained her surprised look until her eyes slowly shut, looking like her self-control was slowly but surely slipping and looked almost as if she was going to start kissing him back until it looked like _something_ came through to her in that moment as she knit her eyebrows together and immediately took advantage of having her hands conveniently placed on his chest as she pushed him away and kept Alejandro at arms length.

His expression looked almost genuinely _confused_ , but Heather turned her head away and recomposed herself as she said, trying to sound as serious as possible, "No… we can't do this."

"Why not?" He responded, his tone sounding almost _wanting._

She decided to not dwell on it and just walked away and crossed her arms, keeping her back to him as she retorted, "We just _can't_. Now if you'll excuse me… I'm going to wash up."

Heather went to grab her makeup bag to take to the bathroom as she heard Alejandro say, his tone low, "If that's _really_ what you want, Heather?"

Heather dared not look back at him as she just responded shortly, " _It is._ "

She looked like she was about to just strut right out of the room as she heard him let out a sigh and say, "As you wish…"

And Heather thought she might have been mistaken for a moment but to her his tone also almost sounded disappointed and possibly… _hurt?_

She just shut her eyes and proceeded out of the first class cabin to wash up for the night without looking back or having a second thought, looking as if she was trying to pretend the whole _situation_ that just occurred never happened.

Though _had_ Heather looked back, she would have been correct in that assumption.

Alejandro was looking at the threshold leading to first class where Heather left to have a slight look of almost _hurt_ radiating off him from being rejected by Heather, a feeling he had _very_ little experience with personally… until now.

He continued to almost look longingly at where Heather disappeared until slowly, his expression contorted.

The longing and almost _hurt_ look was now being replaced by _something else_ slowly but surely.

_**10 minutes later** _

Heather returned to first class to see Alejandro sleeping already, or at least that's what it looked to her as he was laying on his side with his back facing her from where he appeared to be sleeping on one of the sofas in the cabin.

A look of relief seemed to wash over her at _crisis averted_ situation as she herself took a seat and looked like she was dozing off rather quickly.

_**1 hour later** _

Heather was in a deep sleep at this point, but she appeared to be alone in that state at the moment.

Alejandro, who had _never_ been sleeping that whole time, was now sitting and just looking at Heather.

Although the look of _want_ and _hurt_ was still slightly showing through, it was completely overwhelmed by looking completely _put out_ and almost… _vengeful._

Slowly, he stood up, taking one last long look at Heather before subtly sliding off his boots to make sure he could make a _stealthy getaway._

A getaway to somewhere he had already been earlier that evening.

_The control room/Chris's room._

He made his way down the hall and opened the door, giving an eye roll as well as a _weird look_ at Chris's sleeping pod, before going back to Chris's laptop that he used earlier.

He went to the main camera controls once again and _played around_ with the keys before taking the final screenshot.

A vengeful smile taking over his face as he printed the image he _doctored_ of Heather sleeping next to Cody.

After making a few more copies, he walked out of the room and back to first class with the images, tucking them away between his undershirt and outer shirt and smirking to himself at his _revenge plan_ forming in his head.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, looks like Alejandro doesn't take rejection very well… shocker! Lol. XD But, I hope you guys enjoyed my take on what I thought could have happened between them. Even though, again, both of them have mutual feelings for each other… but Heather is the 'Queen Bee' who is also the 'Queen of Denial' in the form of her feelings and doing everything she can to avoid letting Alejandro see he was getting to her. However, I also wanted to show that even before the finale, Alejandro was showing signs of how he really feels about Heather, even if he didn't fully realize it at the time. Even though it ended in rejection and Alejandro did seem dare I say hurt by having Heather not return his feelings. And sure, while Alejandro is a lot of things, I don't see him as the kind of guy who would force himself on any girl who wasn't willing to be with him. Sure Alejandro's shown to be a manipulative snake in the game, but he's not a complete monster. But, being the arrogant and full of himself show-off that he is, I do fully doubt that Alejandro would just take that sort of rejection, particularly from an in-denial Heather, lying down. And based on how testy he was with her in the following episodes… I thought this sort of interaction would make perfect sense to fill in all those plot holes. Also, it seems Heather's been resisting her true feelings for him even longer than we thought. ;) But, that's just me being an adult outside my career using this time in social distancing to over-think the hell out of everything about a cartoon I have been watching since I was 12. And I couldn't care less! I'm having an awesome time writing this! Lol. XD The story will continue in the next update. ;) Anyway, thank you all so much for reading and constructive feedback is very much appreciated as always. Hope you all are doing well and enjoyed this little one-shot/flashback I had in reserve. Stay safe, healthy, and well everyone!
> 
> Stay classy as always!
> 
> Dexter1995


	13. Reaction

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, I'm just going to cut to the chase so I don't bore you all with yet another painfully long A/N. But, just know how thankful I am to all of you for your support and am still heart warmed to hear how much you are enjoying this fanfic. This chapter begins about 10 days after Alejandro dropped Heather off at her house in Chapter 11. And all I'll say is… this is when it all starts going down. Also, I know my usual update pattern is once about mid week and then also updating over the weekend, but this weekend I'll be busy with helping my brother and his wife so… there may or may not be an update this weekend unfortunately so I wanted to make sure I for sure gave you guys a nice long chapter just in case. Hope you enjoy!

**({No POV})**

Damien was casually walking back into his parents house after getting home from his classes, his usual neutral to bored expression on his face as he unlocked the front door and walked in.

He tossed his backpack to the side and kicked off his sneakers before looking like he was going to head to the kitchen and raid the fridge for a late afternoon snack… until he got blindsided and was tackled into the hardwood floor before getting pinned and held face down, feeling like his hands were getting bound together by something.

"Ow! What the?!..."

He looked over his shoulder to see Heather with a determined look on her face and a pissed off yet manic look in her eyes as she proceeded to tighten the hold on the scarf she was using to tie his hands behind his back.

His eyes widened as he practically yelled, confused and _definitely_ NOT liking _anything_ about whatever his sister was up to, "HEATHER?! WHAT THE HELL ARE…"

" _Shut it_." Heather strained through her teeth shortly, looking dead set as she made the knot even tighter.

Damien had no other time to complain as his eyes looked like they continued to get wider as he felt Heather start dragging him by his legs until he realized she was dragging him into the downstairs bathroom.

Then she further confused him when Damien felt her lift him to his feet by the back of his neck before practically pushing him into the bathtub.

He was on his back with his still bound hands being pinned under him as he looked over to Heather, a confused and beyond pissed off look on his face, as he called out, "WHAT THE HELL, YOU FUCKING PSYCHO?!"

Not like the yelling did anything since it was just the two of them home alone at the moment since both their parents were out of the house, making him realize _why_ his sister was doing _whatever this was_ to him right now.

Heather didn't respond at first as she continued her determined, intense, and narrowed glare at her little brother.

She crossed her arms before directing, "Okay, I'm going to give you _one_ chance. So _don't_ lie _._ Now… _what_ did you tell Alejandro about me?" Damien gave Heather a confused look as he tilted his head at her and said, sounding agitated and confused about what Heather was even talking about, " _What?_ "

All of a sudden Heather grabbed the collar of his polo shirt and got right in his face as she practically snarled, "Listen you annoying little pube! If you don't spill right now, then I'll _make you_."

"Spill what?! What the hell are you talking about?!" Damien retorted, still pissed off and beyond confused about what his sister was even talking about or doing at the current moment.

Before he could respond, Heather shoved him back into the tub and then proceeded to turn on the shower head and aiming the now running nozzle of mildly hot water at his stomach.

All that was heard was the water running as Heather kept intensely staring Damien down with that _look_ in her eyes. And Damien just kept looking at his sister with a facial expression that was continuing to contort in pissed off confusion.

Well, until Heather said, her tone nothing short of threatening, " _Talk._ What did you say to him?"

Damien, who looked _done_ , decided to talk back as he spat, "Even if I _did_ say something to your _stupid boyfriend_ , what the hell are _you_ gonna do about it?"

Heather continued to stare her brother down as she pressed her right foot down on his chest, almost pinning him to the inside of the tub, making Damien wonder what she was even doing… until he saw something that made him mortified as Heather put her left hand on the toilet's trip lever to flush it.

Back when Damien used to unmercifully torment Heather with pranks when he was a kid, one of the pranks he pulled on Heather was when he picked the bathroom lock and ran in really quick to flush the toilet while she was still in the shower before booking it out of there and making something _cruel_ to occur behind the shower curtain to his sister as a result.

And now it was his turn to experience it in full force as Heather flushed the toilet and scalding hot water hit his stomach from the shower head, causing him to yell out in pain at the sensation equal to touching a hot iron as far as he was concerned, even through clothes.

"WHAT THE FUCK?!" He yelled out, practically hyperventilating from the scalding sensation at this point.

Then as if that wasn't bad enough, he saw Heather reach into the shower again and then point the shower head's trajectory downward _directly_ at his crotch, causing Damien's whole expression to drop.

Though Damien would _never_ admit it and while he was still pissed off to completion… he was absolutely _terrified_ now.

"No… No…" He started in blind panic, watching his sister's hand slowly drift back to the lever on the toilet, knowing _exactly_ what she was prepared to do.

Under more normal circumstances, Heather would have probably enjoyed watching her brother _squirm_ like this after the _years_ of pranking her unmercifully… but she looked like a woman on a mission at this point.

She hardened her glare further as she emphasized, her tone nothing but threatening, "Now _talk,_ you little shit _._ Or I won't hesitate to give you possibly the most embarrassing doctor's visit you'll ever have. Bet you'd _love_ to explain how this happened."

"You… wouldn't… _dare._ " Damien ground out through his teeth, trying to cover up his fear with defiance and holding onto the hope that his sister was bluffing… at least he _desperately_ hoped she was at this point.

Heather gave him a look that was nothing but dead serious as she responded, "Wanna bet?"

Her fingers slowly started to push down on the lever of the toilet, causing it to 'hiss' in preparation for the inevitable flush… and causing Damien to immediately panic and freak out to completion and at the prospect of any part of his crotch getting first or possibly second degree burns from the scalding hot water.

"NO! STOP! FOR FUCK'S SAKE! I DIDN'T SAY SHIT! I swear! JUST DON'T BURN MY BALLS!" He practically pleaded in near mania, just wanting _this_ to end.

Heather paused, still giving her brother a hard glare, until she took her foot off her brother's chest and shut off the water.

Damien still looked like he was riding out his fight or flight response as Heather pulled him out of the tub and just left him on the floor, untying his hands before throwing the scarf at him. Her eyes were still narrowed as she said, " _Fine_. For once, I'll believe you."

She started to strut out of the bathroom and was making her way up the stairs as she heard her brother call out, still sounding pissed off and freaked out to completion, "What the FUCK is wrong with you?!… You sadistic fuckin' sociopath!"

"Takes one to know one, you little twit!" She shot back through her teeth, not even bothering to stop as she heard her brother continue to call her a wide variety of _colorful insults_.

Heather made her way into her room as she said to herself, "Ugh, _whatever._ Whether he knew anything or not, twerp still had _that_ coming for years."

Though now, she was back to _square one_ on her list of _suspects_.

Ever since she got back from her _trip_ with Alejandro well over a week ago at this point, she was trying to keep her mind off it as best as she could. Particularly Heather was trying to ignore _certain facets_ of it.

But… there was also something she couldn't get out of her head that she was _determined_ to crack wide open for the truth.

When she confronted Alejandro on how he knew all those things about her and what she liked without her telling him, she couldn't help herself from being _incredibly_ suspicious.

Mostly now she was practically so hyper-focused on trying to figure out _who_ exactly told him, and possibly _what else_ Alejandro was told by said person.

Her parents were both immediately crossed off that list.

Alejandro even admitted himself that he did not get the information from her mom, mostly because she was _actually_ willing to believe him on that one.

Mainly due to the fact that he had no problem admitting every other time her mom _assisted_ him in _previous endeavors_ concerning herself, like giving him her number and also packing her an overnight bag for Alejandro to take with him when he tricked her into coming out with him to his family's lake house.

So, Heather crossed off that possibility.

Then her dad was almost an immediate 'check mark' off her list since her dad was not really interested in anything that wasn't money, his job, her mom, or golf and knew practically next to nothing about her or her siblings other than when their birthdays are to toss money at them in his yearly attempt to just 'buy their love'.

And as much as she was confused and despised the possibility, Damien was also _definitely_ a top suspect in her opinion.

As much as she hated to admit it, her younger brother and her knew _a lot_ about each other whether it was good or bad.

Again, though it confused and even infuriated Heather to even consider it, the only reason she saw Damien realistically _assisting_ Alejandro with giving him any _positive_ _feedback_ on her was for his own personal benefit. Like to try to get her to move out somehow so he could take her room over and have the upstairs bathroom all to himself.

And considering she was talking about Damien… that sounded like it tracked and made sense enough to her.

But after her _squeezing the truth_ out of her little brother just now, as well as exacting a little _long overdue_ revenge, Heather doubted very much it was Damien either.

Which in a way came as a relief, but… it still left a hole wide open to the _million dollar question._

Who could have _possibly_ told Alejandro _all that stuff_ about herself?

Heather never had many _close friends_ and Alejandro's never met her two older sisters or her older brother, not like they knew her _that_ well either.

She kept looking like she was racking her brain as she continued to think of any and every possibility.

As much as she didn't want to… she tried to recall the _exact_ wording of that _instance:_

* * *

" _Heather, I have done no such thing. I merely wanted to make the weekend enjoyable for you for your birthday… so I got some very useful information from quite the '_ reliable' _source to assist me… and quite successfully it seems thus far."_

* * *

Heather gripped a hand into her hair as she said to herself, " _Reliable?_ Who could that pompous jerk possibly find that…"

In that moment, it seemed like a look of _realization_ hit Heather with the force of a Tsunami.

Her head robotically looked over at her wall, her eyes scanning over all the contents until she sights on one particular picture.

 _Her Prom court picture_.

Though it wasn't exactly the prom picture itself, but her focusing on a _particular_ _person_ in the picture.

The _only_ person Heather could fathom would remotely have any _information_ on her outside her family and a person who knew her just as well as she knew him, and also the only person Heather considered even remotely _reliable_ to her over all the years they knew each other.

She kept looking at the picture as her eyebrows progressively knit together, her jaw locking up, and her hands clenched slowly but surely into fists at her sides.

A determined look on her face as she said ominously through her teeth, "Shane Matthew Watson… If you said _anything_ more than what I know you did, _you_ are SO _dead_."

With that Heather strutted with an angry and determined purpose out of her room.

_**15 minutes later across Heather's hometown** _

Shane was in his parents' driveway yet again, taking a break from his studies to tinker around with his car.

He was looking under the hood, smiling slightly to himself as he checked the fluid levels and tapping his foot slightly to the music playing on his radio.

Though Shane's _happy place_ was short lived as he heard a car come to an abrupt and near screeching halt.

Before he could look behind him, he heard a car door open and immediately slam shut with a slight echo as he heard a voice he hadn't heard in years say through their teeth, calling him out specifically, " _Shane!_ "

He turned around, wide eyed as he saw Heather practically gunning for him in a violent stomping fit.

Looking like she was going to unleash a fiery apocalyptic plague upon him by the way she was striding toward him.

She took off her sun glasses and threw them away in blind rage as she said, talking through her clenched teeth, " _You…_ You sell out, double-crossing son of a _bitch…_ "

Shane froze and continued to look at Heather wide eyed, a clear look of fear in his eyes behind his glasses, before saying to himself, knowing he was _completely_ screwed, "Oh… _shit_."

_**Meanwhile in Ottawa** _

Gerardo walked back into the house and set his briefcase aside.

His work itinerary for the day was finished ahead of schedule so he decided to come home early to see if Alejandro or José wanted to go out and have an early dinner and maybe grab some drinks for some long overdue bonding.

With Elena out of town with some old friends of hers and already having called to give their cook Isobel the night off, he was prepared to have a nice relaxing evening spending time with his sons if they weren't busy.

He started to make his way down the hall until he stopped when he noticed something outside the large glass window at the end of the dining room up ahead leading out to their back deck.

Outside the window and sitting in a chair and looking intently at his phone on the patio table, was Alejandro.

His eyes were intensely looking at his phone and his whole expression seemed _hardened_ and _beyond_ frustrated yet almost _somber_ somehow, almost like he was waiting for something that hasn't happened in over 10 days at this point.

And to Gerardo… it wasn't exactly _difficult_ to see what exactly was _going on_ , or at least he had a strong _hunch_.

Ever since Alejandro started to _pursue_ his interest in Heather practically a month ago now and they started seeing each other, he noticed a sudden _change_ in his youngest son's demeanor that he hadn't seen comparable to anything in a _very_ long time.

Mostly that lately, his son had been in almost _extremely_ high spirits.

Practically swaggering around the house with a level of confidence he hadn't seen in _years_ and just looking almost genuinely... _happy_ in a way _._

And even then, that seemed like an exaggeration to Gerardo, since he didn't even think that adequately described the sudden _uptick_ in Alejandro's mood.

Not that it was that hard to exactly guess why?

Alejandro may be very skilled at showing particular sides of himself in varying situations when required, but as far as Alejandro was concerned to his father, he was still just a 21 year old young man who in a lot of real ways wasn't too hard to figure out.

Particularly it wasn't too hard for him to see that no matter what, Alejandro was still a young man who was dating a _particular young woman_ with the _pursuit_ going quite well as far as he knew… until he returned the weekend before last.

All the confidence and almost dare he say 'jovial' energy his son previously radiated was now gone and seemed to be replaced by this angry, flustered, and almost… _hurt_ persona.

Not that Alejandro was exactly _out of the hole_ until just recently since he spent a lot of his time in recovery from his injuries seeming a bit more _serious._ But it had been a long time since he had seen his son looking _like this._

And even then, what he was seeing now even made that _previous instance_ pale in comparison to this. Gerardo let out a slight sigh, seeming disappointed himself now.

Especially considering he was even 'connecting the dots' at this point that things between Alejandro and Heather must have gone _awry…_ again.

Which Gerardo wasn't going to lie to himself by admitting that it even _disappointed_ him personally as well in a way, though he knew his wife would still have a _opposing opinion_ on this subject.

Probably why Alejandro was definitely faking 'seeming fine' recently whenever his mother was around to most likely not give her more _fodder_ against Heather.

Gerardo looked like he was debating on what to do… until he realized he wasn't the only one.

He noticed José slowly walking through the living area adjacent to the dining room, also appearing to be looking at Alejandro outside through the window there… and then seeing a deviously wicked grin slowly take over his face as he fixed his line of sight on Alejandro.

Gerardo saw the _wheels turning_ in his middle son's head as he tried to continue to stay inconspicuous and let out a sigh and pinched the bridge of his nose and shaking his head, knowing _nothing_ good could come from this.

Especially since it seemed like José was about to put his thoughts into action as he slid the back sliding door open and stepped out onto the deck.

But, as much as it appeared that Gerardo wanted very much to step in to prevent the _inevitable_ , he had to hold back.

Almost as if to remind himself, he monologued quietly, "Come now, Gerardo. They're grown men, you can't just keep interfering in their affairs as if they're boys."

But as much as he wanted to walk away, he stayed within eye and ear shot as he continued to watch José stride toward Alejandro with that wicked smirk still on his face and crossing his arms.

Meanwhile outside, Alejandro appeared to be so absorbed in looking at his phone, particularly the tab he had pulled up containing his and Heather's recent text messaging exchanges, which obviously weren't _recent_ at all.

Almost like he was waiting to see the three dots show up to show any sign of Heather even remotely _attempting_ to reach out to him… but _nothing._

He hadn't heard from her since he dropped her off at her house over a week and a half ago, much to his overwhelming _frustration_.

"What's with the long face lately, _hermanito?_ Waiting to hear from your girlfriend?" He heard José tease deviously.

Alejandro didn't even bother to look back as he remained almost stone faced and clenched one of his fists in an attempt to release tension, which wasn't as helpful as he hoped.

" _Go away..._ " Alejandro responded shortly, trying not to let his brother get to him.

It was just wishful thinking though as José continued to saunter toward him in a cocky and amused manner, almost as if he was enjoying a favorite pastime. Though for José, messing with and bullying his little brother practically was like a favorite _game_ to him.

José put his hands on the backrest of the chair Alejandro was sitting in as he looked at the screen on the phone and started clicking his tongue on the roof of his mouth before he commented, _clearly_ trying to get a rise out of Alejandro, "Oh shame… looks like you haven't talked to each other in almost 2 weeks. She been busy?"

Alejandro visibly tensed up, but looked determined to hold his place.

But that didn't appear to stop José as he continued, "Or… was this about that last little _date_ you took her on when you asked mother and father for the keys to the lake house? Possibly what you and her _did_ at the lake house?"

José chuckled as Alejandro's stomach looked like it was slowly but surely clenching by the look in his eyes.

" _Slick thinking_ on your part. But, you must admit, it was _pretty obvious_ with what you were _planning to do_ up there with her. Wouldn't you say, _Al?_ " José prodded, punching Alejandro slightly on the shoulder with a devious chuckle as Alejandro's body looked like it kept tensing up further as he proceeded to bottle up his rage.

It was silent for a few seconds until José continued, "You _did_ sleep with her, correct? If not that would be _quite_ pathetic after the amount of time you've been just as _pathetically_ pining over her for in my opinion."

Alejandro continued to keep coiling in on himself in rage and slight embarrassment.

José finally came around to the side of the table and rested his hands on the table's surface and continued to give Alejandro a wickedly satisfied smirk as he commented, "You finally did, didn't you? About time you finally got yourself laid, and with _her,_ after how long you've been _laid up_ for lack of a better term over the past 3 years after she completely decimated your pride. Or… is that what _this_ is about? The moment you _finally_ got her on her back and you weren't able to _satisfy her_ enough so now she wants nothing more to do with you… Wouldn't be the first time _that_ happened for you, right _Al?_ "

At that moment, Alejandro looked like he snapped as he shoved out the chair from underneath him and rigidly stood up with his fists clenched as he narrowed his eyes at José, who wasn't even batting an eye.

In fact, José almost seemed like he was practically _enjoying_ the exchange now more than ever as he remarked, sounding almost sadistically playful in a way, " _Oh…_ Looks like I _struck a chord_ on that one, hm?"

José continued to smirk as he got right in Alejandro's face before saying, "Well, needless to say, at least _you_ probably got a _good time_ out of it with her. Girls like her are usually _very_ fun behind closed doors… and with _looks_ like hers. Even _I_ have to admit she is _quite_ attractive. Perhaps, I should go pay your girlfriend a visit myself and show her a _real_ good time? I'd be _more_ than happy to oblige… setting her _less than charming_ qualities aside of course. At least her physical looks _more_ than make up for them, wouldn't you agree?"

Not even a second passed as Alejandro practically growled in pure rage, " _Bastardo!..._ "

Alejandro then immediately threw a right hook directly across Josè's face to knock him back and cause José to hold his left eye on reflex from the blow as Alejandro practically snarled through his teeth, sounding _dead serious,_ "NEVER speak about her that way to me again! _"_

Instantly both of them quite literally lunged and went at each other's throats in the moment, both of them wrapping their hands around each other's necks in an attempt to strangle each other.

Normally in these situations, José was always the physically stronger one of the two of them, being a champion middleweight boxer in his division.

But after the lifetime of bullying and torment from his older brother making it his life's mission to make him miserable… Alejandro finally cracked and then shattered like a glass vase being dropped on a tile floor.

He even caught José off guard for a moment as he ducked down on instinct and wrapped his arms around his midsection and lifted him up briefly before slamming José down on the deck boards in an instant on his back. Alejandro was practically in an enraged frenzy as he immediately pinned his brother down before proceeding to take two more punches.

It looked like Alejandro was almost going to take a third before José caught it just in time and deflected it before throwing a punch of his own across Alejandro's face, knocking him off in the process.

José; who now had a bloody nose, swollen lip, and his left eye already showing signs of swelling, looked as if he would have done more until Gerardo stormed in and reprimanded/yelled, "Oye! OYE! STOP IT! BOTH OF YOU!"

Gerardo practically had fire in his eyes as he grabbed both his sons by the backs of their shirts and pulled them up as well as apart to separate them.

"WHAT IS THE MEANING OF THIS PETTY SQUABBLING?! _Dios mío_ , you are both grown men!" Gerardo practically scolded in paternal fury, looking between the two of them.

"But _Al_ started it! He punched me first!" José interjected almost immaturely as he spit off to the side, showing that he also had a split lip now with the blood showing in his saliva.

"I don't care _who_ did _what_ first! THIS is NOT how civilized young men of your age and social standing are supposed to act! AND _especially_ not how your mother and I raised you to behave under our roof! HEAR ME?!" Gerardo practically unleashed on José.

It was silent until Gerardo looked from José to Alejandro and said, practically commanding, "Alejandro… _you_ stay out here and cool off. I'll be back after I have a little _chat_ with your brother."

He released Alejandro who looked back slightly in shock for a moment, not seeing his father that angry in a _very_ long time.

But, he was still enraged himself after _everything_ that was said along with the _obvious_ frustrating him at the moment as he started to walk into their backyard where there was a tire and a sledge hammer he used after his morning runs for his upper body work out and quickly started hammering away at the tire for a much needed _outlet._

Slowly Gerardo looked back at José and narrowed his eyes at him, making José look just as surprised and mildly freaked out at seeing their father _this_ enraged as well.

Gerardo continued to give José a hard glare before he released José's shirt and proceeded to grab him by the hair on the back of his head and grind out in displeasure, "Come with me, _tu rata._ "

"OW! OYE! Papá?!" José complained, even though his father's hold on him really wasn't even _that_ rough.

"OH, _Pipe down_!" Gerardo responded, sounding completely _done_ , as he continued to drag José inside before practically tossing him into the living room on the floor shutting the glass sliding door behind them.

The room was completely dead silent as Gerardo continued to give his middle son a stern glare as he crossed his arms, looking the _epitome_ of displeased.

After a few more moments of silence, Gerardo took on a stressed look and breathed out a sigh, pinching the bridge of his nose.

Hesitantly José got to his feet as his father started, "José, _mijo_ , as my son I love you… but, I fail to like or even tolerate you sometimes by the way you act and behave."

José gave his father a confused look and spat, "ME?! Al was the one who did _this_ to me! Look at my face! AND I had a date this Friday with this girl I met at the gym! WHAT AM I SUPPOSED TO DO NOW?!"

Gerardo gave his son a stern look again as he retorted, sounding very matter of fact, " _Well_ , then I suggest you either 'delay you plans' or hope she's a young lady who doesn't mind associating herself with a young man who has some _very_ well deserved cuts and bruises on his face."

José looked flabbergasted and beyond enraged as he spat back, "EXCUSE ME?! AGH! You always take _his_ side! WHY?!"

"Cállate la boca! I do NOT _always_ take anyone's side! But, in this instance… I do take your brother's. Because you damn well had this coming to you for years in my view, and apparently the same opinion goes for your brother. You earned every last hit and then some that you received just now before I intervened. Ever since you boys were young, all you've ever done was _run your mouth_ and _pick_ and _prod_ at Alejandro _incessantly._ And not that I blame Alejandro in this case for finally snapping on you… because I was _not_ in any way pleased by what you were saying either. And _believe me_ , I heard every last unnecessarily _vulgar_ thing you said that makes me ashamed to call you my son if that's how you feel the need to talk about women, particularly a young woman your own brother is associated with. Now you go to your room right now and think about what you've done!"

José's eyes went wide as he gave his father a look and retorted, "You _can't_ be serious, father?! What am I? A child?! I'm 23!"

"If you want to be treated like a man, then _act_ like one! You are _so_ lucky your mother wasn't here to see this. And don't you let me _ever_ see this happen to this degree of blood shed again in my house… or I swear, I will not hesitate to retract my _hospitality_ to let you live here while you finish grad school. Now… _vas_." Gerardo ground out through his teeth and pushed his son slightly toward the stairs.

José gave his father one last displeased look before hanging his head and grunting while marching his way angrily up the stairs before going into his room and slamming the door shut behind him.

Gerardo scrunched his eyes shut for a moment, trying to ease his internal tension before slowly looking over his shoulder into the backyard.

Alejandro was still angrily swinging away the sledge hammer at the tire out back with a still beyond frustrated and enraged expression on his face.

Gerardo's expression lightened slightly as he started to say through a sigh, "Now… what to do about you, _mijo_?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, if there was anything I liked about TDAS (I know Dexter is ACTUALLY going to admit she likes something about TDAS?! Raise the Flags and shoot off some firecrackers because holy crap we never thought she'd say it! Lol.), but I did think with the limited time they had to show José and Alejandro's sibling dynamic, as well as José himself as a character, that it was actually fairly well done and I wanted to carry that over into my fanfic… but with some differences. Since this is a slight AU when it comes to TDAS and its events being altered in this story, José and Alejandro never had a fight on TD in this universe… but I still thought it would still totally be a thing if José would say some pretty shitty things concerning Heather herself to Alejandro as well as their relationship together, for lack of a better word, and lead to he and Alejandro getting into a fight. Especially since I did think that Alejandro not letting José speak against Heather is totally something Alejandro would do. He and Heather can argue and call each other whatever they want, but if you insult Heather around him… Alejandro would not be pleased, being the loyal yet manipulatively hypocritical guy we all know and love. Lol. Also, to me after the minimal information we got on José… I just saw José as just being this all out awful douchebag with a dumpster fire of a personality who makes Alejandro practically look innocent and good-natured by comparison, considering it seems like José gets himself off on Alejandro's misery. Sure Alejandro and Heather are both very flawed and awful people with the things they've both done… very much so, but José to me would be MUCH worse than both of them with his character. Believe me, I've met a lot of "José's" in the past so I'd like to think I pulled off the cocky, mouth running douche who never knows when to quit pretty well, but I'll leave that up to you guys for what you think on how I portrayed José. But, I also wanted to show how wise Gerardo was to what's between his sons… and seemed to have lost all tolerance for it at this point with practically treating José like an unruly man child like the tough love parent that he is. Lol. XD But, what will he do with Alejandro? Also, I hope you liked Heather's rather sadistic revenge herself against her brother in the beginning while also trying to squeeze the honest truth out of him. Hey, Heather's one deviously twisted chick, but she knows how to get a job done as we've seen time and time again. That and considering what her favorite movies are… is there any room to be surprised. Haha. XD And looks like Shane is in some hot water… but will Heather have mercy on his soul? Stay tuned! Thanks again ahead of time for all your patience and support on this. You guys rock!
> 
> Stay classy, healthy, and safe everyone!
> 
> Dexter1995


	14. Reunion

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WOOO! I actually did it! I managed to get this chapter posted this weekend! Just thanks again so much again for all the continued support. This chapter will open on Shane from a little over 3 years ago at this point watching the final minutes of TDWT on TV before going back to picking up with he and Heather from the previous chapter. Hope you enjoy! :)

_**3 years ago** _

**({No POV})**

Shane was sitting on the foot of his bed watching the last minutes of the finale of _Total Drama World Tour_ and looking at the screen intently. Alejandro had just been poised to throw his mannequin made in Heather's likeness into the volcano… until he saw the events take an unexpected turn once Heather got there.

And then those events all started to spiral.

* * *

 **Alejandro:** _"Admit it… you're in love with me."_

 **Heather:** _"WHAT?! I don't love you! I love… er, HATE! I meant I hate you."_

 **Alejandro:** _"I know what you meant… and I must confess. At first… yes, my intentions were purely strategic."_

* * *

"SHANE! I can't find my pink sweatshirt!" He heard his little sister call out from downstairs.

"One sec, sis!" Shane called out, still having his complete focus glued to his TV as he was trying to wrap his head around what was going on.

"But, I'm cold!" She called back, in a typical 9 almost 10 year old complaint fashion.

"Sarah, it's late August and the AC is on! You'll survive! Just give me one minute!" Shane called back in annoyance, not wanting to stray his attention from the screen for a second.

He looked back to see Alejandro and Heather face to face, his eyes going wide in _absolute_ shock at what he heard next.

* * *

 **Alejandro:** _"Our connection goes deeper than any game._ Together… _we could take over the world!"_

 **Heather:** _"Wow, I suppose I might actually feel a… a little_ something _?"_

* * *

" _Shit…_ is she finally gonna go for it?" Shane said quietly to himself in complete disbelief and intrigue at what he was seeing.

Then his disbelief stretched even further after he saw Alejandro go in for a kiss and Heather _actually_ looking like she was starting to reciprocate.

" _Whoa…_ " Shane let out on reflex in surprise at seeing _this_ actually happening.

Just seeing visual proof of a guy _actually_ getting literally 'anywhere' with Heather, like this almost seemed completely unbelievable to him.

But, it was almost like he even felt a bit of strange satisfaction himself for the two of them.

Despite the fact that Heather still totally confused and freaked him out slightly after all the years they knew each other, and especially after _what she_ did in the form of her kiss on the cheek after Prom and the nice yet still passive aggressive as all get out note she wrote in his yearbook… he did seem to be _happy_ in a way for Heather.

Then slowly but surely, Shane smiled a little as he started, " _Nice_ Heath…"

But Shane immediately stopped talking as his jaw practically became unhinged as his mouth fell wide open and his eyes were almost falling out of his head at what happened next.

Heather, mid-kiss, kneed Alejandro _hard_ directly in his crotch.

Shane's shocked expression continued to contort as he even dropped his phone on his bedroom floor and not even caring.

* * *

 **Heather:** _"A little something called VICTORY! So long sucker!"_

* * *

Shane was still in a total shock as he watched Heather shove Alejandro, who had landed on a block of ice while holding himself, off the edge and over the side of the volcano.

He continued to watch the screen in near catatonic shock as Heather smirked in satisfaction while walking to the edge of the volcano.

* * *

 **Heather:** _"Yeah, boys are_ okay… But, a million dollars is way better!"

* * *

Shane just shut off the TV as his thoughts slowly looked like they were _coming back_ to him.

But… it was like he couldn't believe what he just witnessed.

Sure Shane wasn't entirely surprised _at all,_ or at least he knew he shouldn't have been, by that sort of _stunt_ she pulled just now.

After all, Heather did have a _vengeance streak_ in her that he was all too familiar with that she would pull on guys at their school especially.

But, she _never_ took it _that far_ until he saw what she did just now _._ AND the fact that she did _that_ to Alejandro floored him even more.

Shane had known Heather since they were 6 almost 7 years old and he was probably the closest thing Heather even _remotely_ had to a 'friend', but… up until this point Shane just couldn't believe he saw Heather seem like she _actually_ 'liked' a guy at any capacity… much less completely fall for a guy until Alejandro.

Sure Shane thought Alejandro was just as much as a manipulative, twisted con artist as Heather, but… that was the point.

To him, Alejandro was the only guy he had ever seen who had even a snowflake's chance in hell to get to Heather with Heather showing _obvious_ signs of practically _swooning_ over the guy before treating him like _chump change_ just now _just_ to win a reality show competition.

Yeah, again, Shane knew this shouldn't come as a _total surprise_ in the least… but he just still couldn't believe on some demented level that Heather _actually_ did what he just saw.

He turned the TV back on and rewinded the broadcast on his DVR before pausing on Heather shoving Alejandro off the volcano.

He ran a hand through his hair, still looking sort of shocked, until he grunted/sighed in frustration and scrunched his eyes shut before putting his hands over his face and saying in frustration, " _Son of a bitch_ , Heather…"

"I'm telling mom!" Sarah called out, clearly in regard to Shane's _language_ … and for still not helping her find her sweatshirt.

_**Present day** _

Shane continued to stare at Heather, frozen in place, as he said to himself, "Oh… _shit._ "

He had no idea what she was going to do until she charged right up to him before just going for the 'coup de grâce' and just grabbing him by the shoulders before driving her knee into his groin with fire in her eyes… while Shane's eyes almost looked like they were tearing up at the _hit below the belt_ he just received _._

And to Shane… it was one _HELL_ of a hit.

He was honestly even surprised that he was even still standing as he kept holding himself on reflex with one hand before eventually straightening his glasses with the other as he strained out, his voice slightly higher than its usual deep tone, _"Nice to see you too, Heather._ "

Right after that she grabbed him by the collar of his shirt, still looking destructive, before hissing through bared teeth, "Cut the crap, _Shane_! Don't pretend like you don't know EXACTLY why the _fuck_ I'm here right now! Now why the hell were you talking to Alejandro about me?!"

Shane looked like he was slowly but surely trying to get his bearings before Heather gave him a full on and _hard_ smack across his face before practically shaking Shane by his shirt and demanding, "I said 'TALK', you son of a bitch!"

Shane, although still not 100%, managed to regain himself to a somewhat normal human posture before saying, trying to stand up for himself, "What do you mean 'why'? He came _here_ and talked to _me_ so I had to tell him _something_ rather than ignore him _._ What the hell else was I supposed to do, Heather?!"

"You _tell_ that pompous Spanish jerk to get bent and hit the fucking road! _That's_ what you were supposed to 'tell him' rather than just selling me out, you double crossing shitbag!" Heather fumed, still looking like she wanted to burn Shane and the entire world into the ground.

"HEY! I did _you_ a favor!" Shane snapped, even surprising himself with his sudden bravery.

But after all the years of having to deal with Heather... he hit his limit.

" _A favor?_ OH! So selling me out by telling _Don Juan Doofus_ about me and what I like is a _'favor'_ to you now?! Okay, _fine,_ then maybe I'll do you a ' _favor'_ of my own!" Heather even surprised Shane as she just punched him right in the gut, although he was more just happy about her not _hitting him where it hurts_ again _._

"How's that for damn _'favor'_?!" Heather spat in sarcastic rage.

"Heather, just…" Shane started, readjusting his glasses still getting his bearings after getting the wind knocked out of him.

"Because of _you_ , that _jerk_ practically conned me into some lame-ass convoluted…"

"Heather, will you?…"

"So I hope you're _fucking happy_ with yourself?! You…"

"HEATHER, WILL YOU JUST STOP BEING A NAGGING BITCH FOR 5 GOD DAMN MINUTES?!" Shane finally exploded, even making Heather go silent and wide eyed for the first time since Lindsay went off on her during season 1.

But Shane even made _that_ seem like nothing.

For as long as Heather has known Shane, he's always been a very _quiet_ and _mild mannered_ guy who always just went along with whatever she told him to do and rarely ever complained about it.

About the closest she had ever seen to him ' _yelling'_ was when he called out plays and screens on the basketball court or this _other instance_ that she has secretly never forgotten about...

But even now made both of those seem like nothing to her since she had _never_ seen Shane this angry ever.

Either way… Heather saw that even Shane had his limits.

After Shane's demeanor relaxed slightly from his _outburst_ , it was like both of them had this _feeling_ since by the time both of them looked out to the street, there was this older couple strolling through the neighborhood and this group of junior high aged kids on bikes just staring at the two of them.

At this point, and although slightly _infamously_ , Heather practically was the town celebrity after her _many_ appearances on _Total Drama_ at this point in time so she was _very_ well known by most of the community and practically _everyone_ knew who she was.

But, not wanting to risk being filmed or photographed and also to just make the _conversation_ a bit more _private,_ Shane just grabbed Heather by the wrist and started tugging her into the house and ignoring her protests all the while.

Finally Shane managed to get them into the basement of his family's house and shoved Heather ahead slightly and stood between her and stairs.

She kept giving him a hard glare and as much it looked like Shane still looked a bit _weary_ , he appeared to be pushing it way back as he gave her a look back and crossed his arms.

It was dead silent until Heather clenched her fists and threatened through her teeth slightly, "Shane… _move_."

Shane maintained his stance as he started, "No… I'm not going to ' _move'_ and let you walk all over me like you always do because I have some things to say to you."

Heather scoffed before spouting, "Oh! Like you haven't already said enough to _casa-nitwit?!_ While we're on the subject, you better not have said _shit_ or showed him any pictures of me when I was junior high or so help me I will!…"

"HEATHER, ENOUGH! I _didn't_ say or show him _anything_ from junior high about what you looked like. Now _shut it_ and let me talk already?!" Shane shouted and Heather looked slightly taken aback again by whoever this guy was that seemed to replace the _Shane Watson_ she knew, practically almost like a comparison of ' _Doctor Jekyll and Mr Hyde'_ as far as she was concerned.

Shane slowly relaxed as he readjusted his glasses again before letting out a sigh and saying, "Look Heather, just for one _damn_ second I want you to get off of whatever demented-ass _high horse_ you've always been sitting on since the moment we met and listen to me for once. Because, like I said, I did _you_ a favor by telling him all that stuff about what you liked. You're just too bullheaded and blind to wrap your head around it."

"EXCUSE ME?! I fail to see how you telling that back-stabbing, vain-ass jerk about me was doing _me_ any favors?!" Heather spat until Shane countered, "AND YOU'RE THE SAME WAY HEATHER! For as long as I've known you, you have always been a backstabbing, cold, vain, and vengeful bitch who will not hesitate to get at _anyone_ who even looks at you wrong. You never know when to quit, Heather! And that's your problem!"

"Now you…" Heather tried to cut in until Shane got in her face and said through bared teeth, "I'm NOT done! Then that stupid damn show that did nothing but make a fool out of you and got your damn head shaved in front of the entire damn world on fluke _finally_ does _you_ a favor by basically dropping the only guy who was an equal to you and you were SO _into_ right at your feet. Then what the hell do you do? You kick him in the balls _and_ shove him off a volcano?! WHAT THE FUCK, HEATHER?!"

"HEY! That cocky, pompous jerk had it coming after all the times he completely screwed me over! I did what I _had_ to do!" Heather managed to get in.

Well, until Shane practically towered over her and got in her space before practically growling, "But, you screwed him over too, Heather! Both of you were constantly going at each other because both of you are too hypocritical and full of yourselves to see that you were just doing all that shit because you both couldn't _stand_ there was someone else other than you who was just as good as you. Again, Heather… when does it _fucking_ end for you, huh?! All you do is keep pushing and pushing and pushing until there is nothing left to push!"

"You're seriously comparing me to that _jerk?!_ " Heather spat, completely enraged.

But, that still didn't seem to deter Shane as he got right back in her face and said, "YES! Because he is YOU, Heather! Are you seriously so damn blind and ignorant that you can't see that you and him aren't practically the same?! Until I finally talked to the guy 2 weeks ago, I don't think I have ever met a person just as cocky, defensive, and full of themselves as you… Hell, even on that damn show I could see it! He's literally the only guy I have ever seen you even remotely like at all and all you do is keep shoving him away for the stupidest damn reason."

"HEY! I don't need any of this shit! Not from you or _him_! GOT IT?!" Heather spouted in defense, still trying to hold her ground. "HEATHER! That's NOT the point! You want to know what your problem is?"

Heather shoved Shane in the chest a bit and got in his face, practically getting nose to nose with him, as she ground out through her teeth, "Oh! So, you're an 'authority' on me now?! You think you know _anything?_ Go on _Sigmund Freud_! I fucking dare you! Enlighten me!"

Shane immediately got in Heather's face again as he started, " _No..._ because I _know_ what your problem is, _Heather._ _Your_ 'problem' is you don't like anything that makes you feel like you don't have any 'control' or feel 'emotion'. The moment you _feel_ anything in that cold fucking blackhole in your chest that you call a heart that makes you feel _any_ vulnerability, you get scared and immediately have it flat out _obliterated_ to save your pride and to maintain your control over _everything_ … even though that's all a load of _crap_. _You_ just hate letting anyone in because it makes you feel _weakness_. Even when you manage to get a second chance to feel _something_ you still seem to manage to fuck it up! AGAIN! You literally shoved that pompous-ass Spanish prick off a FUCKING volcano after kicking him in the balls on International TV and he for some demented reason is _still_ into you! So… WHAT?! WHEN WILL YOU STOP BEING SUCH A MISERABLE BITCH AND JUST GET OVER YOURSELF ENOUGH TO ADMIT THAT YOU HAVE _SOME_ SHRED OF HUMAN EMOTION ALREADY?!"

It didn't even take a millisecond as Heather just smacked him hard across the face, even making Shane backtrack slightly holding his left cheek where she hit him.

They made eye contact for a moment as heavy and almost suffocating silence consumed them until Heather just scrunched her eyes shut and grunted before stomping back up the stairs and out of Shane's house.

Well, until he heard what sounded like Heather kick his car _hard_ once as the car alarm went off.

He had just enough mental capacity to shut off the alarm with his key fob until he just slumped back onto the basement couch on his back with his legs hanging over one of the armrests by his knees.

Shane just put his hands over his face and letting out a long and strained sigh after everything that just occurred.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, looks like Heather and Shane had some little 'reunion' together just now… Yikes! Honestly, one of my favorite Total Drama moments was when Lindsay went off on Heather, you know the Canadian edit that actually had her cursing Heather out through censored swearing, and just showing how caught off guard Heather was during that moment. But, for this… I wanted to show what would happen when someone who actually knew Heather like Shane gave her a much needed 'reality check' when it comes to how she handles herself. And also that anyone, even calm people like Shane, can be pushed into unleashing their anger and frustration. After all, Shane has known Heather for since they were 6 and while he does respect her and even considers her a 'friend' to a degree… he had been bottling things up when it comes to Heather for so long that even he couldn't take it anymore. Anyway, what will happen from here? Stay tuned to find out! As always, constructive feedback is always very much appreciated. Thanks for reading and hope you are all well!
> 
> Stay classy!
> 
> Dexter1995


	15. Advisement

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, again, thanks so much a million times for all the support from all of you. This chapter picks up from after Gerardo gave a 'talking to' to José with Alejandro trying to work out his frustration, emphasis on 'trying'. Enjoy!

**({No POV})**

It was several moments after Gerardo took José inside to _chat_ as Alejandro just looked determined to block anything and everything out as he kept hitting the tire with the sledgehammer. But, some thoughts still managed to _slip through the cracks..._

* * *

 _You_ did _sleep with her, correct? If not that would be_ quite _pathetic after the amount of time you've been just as_ pathetically _pining over her for in my opinion._

* * *

His eyebrows continued to knit together as his striked picked up in intensity.

* * *

 _Seriously? We sleep together once and you think that must mean I'm in love with you? How much of an egocentric jerk are you that you think that I'd feel that way about you from just_ that _?!"_

* * *

His swings became shorter and more rigid as his thoughts just continued to spiral.

* * *

_You just show up to my parents house and cozy up to them and then pull this stupid DATE BULLSHIT!…_

_Stupid DATE BULLSHIT!..._

_DATE BULLSHIT!..._

_BULLSHIT!..._

_BULLSHIT!..._

_BULLSHIT!..._

* * *

Alejandro scrunched his eyes and grit his teeth as he grunted before swinging the sledgehammer over his head one last time before throwing it out of his hands with force at the tire.

His breathing picked up as his hands clenched into tight fists at his sides, before taking one of his hands and running it through his hair and looking like he was trying to collect himself as he continued to scrunch his eyes.

He kept his hand in his hair and practically clenched his fingers into it out of his current internal tension until he heard, "Hijo?"

Alejandro whipped his head behind him, fully expecting to see his father giving him a look of total and complete displeased disappointment at _everything that just happened_ … but; surprisingly, he didn't.

Instead Gerardo was regarding him rather neutrally as he put his arms behind his back.

Alejandro glanced away for a moment, putting his arms behind his back as well, before commenting bitterly and frustrated to the nth degree, "I'm assuming you're going to scold me like a child too?"

After several beats of silence between them, Gerardo stepped forward slightly.

"No… for you in this instance, _scolding_ won't do any good. Personally, even I'm feeling rather stressed lately as well from work. Perhaps a walk, meal, and a drink or two with my son is just the ticket. Maybe we could walk to _Nuestra Casa_ together? A little father-son bonding over an early dinner and some drinks?" Gerardo suggested calmly and smoothly with a smirk.

Alejandro tilted his head in total confusion at his father, not understanding why he was suggesting it… and also why he was saying _son_ in the 'singular sense'?

He continued to give his father a look as he inquired, "Walk? Isn't _Nuestra Casa_ a 45 minute walk from here?"

Gerardo shrugged before responding, very matter of fact and smooth, "Well, it is a pleasant evening. A nice long walk to me is just what's needed now and it's still a bit early. This way we can build up an appetite and take our time."

Alejandro's confused state continued to contort as he asked, not that he cared… _especially_ now after _what just occurred_ , "And José?"

Gerardo shrugged and explained, though an obvious tinge of _displeasure_ came through in his voice, "Your brother is staying here to… _sort himself out_. He can have dinner on his own."

"But, doesn't Isobel have the night off?" Alejandro recalled, remembering his mother mentioning that before she left earlier.

"That is correct." Gerardo answered simply.

"Then what's Josè going to do for dinner?" Alejandro inquired, still completely confused by everything that was happening.

"Your brother is a grown man with two perfectly good hands to make his own dinner or he can order it himself elsewhere… and if he doesn't like it, then he can _lump it_." Gerardo said spitefully to himself at the end, making Alejandro's eyes go wide at his father's words.

Until, for the first time in almost two weeks, Alejandro actually smirked to himself for a second.

Gerardo then walked to their back gate and opened it before motioning to it and saying, "But, never mind that. I could go for a nice bowl of gazpacho right about now. They always make it so well there. My treat."

Alejandro, though still hesitant and slightly confused, finally walked out the gate with his father.

The two started off on their _constitutional_ together before Gerardo put a hand on his son's shoulder, causing Alejandro to to halt his step and look over to his father.

"So, since we appear to have this _long_ and _pleasant_ walk ahead of us… I think there have been _some things_ you haven't been telling me?" Alejandro's demeanor immediately tensed up as he looked anywhere but at his father, clearly trying not to _acknowledge_ the obvious _subject_ … despite it being the only thing on his mind, well _one facet_ of it in particular despite _everything_.

"Alejandro, now normally I would consider this as something entirely none of my business since you are a grown man and your life is entirely your own affair; however, considering I have been _more_ than helpful to you with loaning you my car and lending you the lake house keys no questions asked in your recent _pursuit_ and after what I _overheard_ on the deck just now… I believe as your father, I'm at least warranted a little _insight_ at this point, wouldn't you say?" Gerardo pressed slightly, giving Alejandro a slight yet stern glance out of the corner of his eye.

They both proceeded to walk in silence until Alejandro finally let out a sigh mixed with a grunt, his expression nothing but _frustrated_ before snidely commenting _,_ "I don't think _any_ amount of time or patience is sufficient for explaining _this_."

"Well, it's quite a long walk… _perhaps_ , let's start with that, sí?" Gerardo started, motioning his hand ahead of them.

The two proceeded to walk as Alejandro debated for a second… well, until he realized he wasn't going to get out of this as his father kept looking at him expectantly.

_**50 minutes later** _

Alejandro and his father kept sitting at their table at the Spanish restaurant their family tended to frequent for a _taste of home_ on occasion.

Gerardo looked at his son wide eyed after Alejandro explained the _recent events_ over the past couple months to his father.

Everything from him realizing how he felt about Heather, to his _plan_ of getting her to go out with him, and (though subtly) how things went _awry_ between them after their little getaway and _tryst_ at the lake house.

Gerardo looked thoughtful and almost taken aback for a moment before finally sighing and running a hand through his hair, making even someone as calm and cool as Alejandro nervous since his father was one of the few people aside from Heather that he had a hard time understanding.

Though Heather was just a _completely_ different story from Alejandro's perspective _._

But, his father?... He never knew how his father would react to things.

Though a very calm and collected man, Gerardo was always a _man of mystery_ who always held _very_ high and particular standards on things. Yet he also surprised Alejandro at the same time with how he expressed certain _opinions_ , such his father's _approval_ when it came to his _involvement_ with Heather for example that he still had a _very_ hard time comprehending why that was.

So, Alejandro felt within his rights to feel somewhat skeptical about what his father was going to say… or even do?

Gerardo traced his fingers over his goatee in deep thought for a moment before looking to Alejandro and saying, "Alejandro, I want to make some things clear before I'm going to say what I'm about to say to you, sí?"

Alejandro gave his father a skeptical look for the umpteenth time that evening as he tilted his head before finally nodding for his father to proceed.

"Now son… you have always been a very intelligent and diligent young man. Whether it was your studies or your extracurricular activities, you always strived to be the best and prove that you were and I have always been immensely proud of you for that. Though your brothers also carry that determination, yours in particular has always reminded me the most of myself when I was a young man. Just as your mother always tells you whether it's your looks or your personality, _you are your father's son_. And I'm proud to admit that. However, also like myself at your age and as much as I'm sorry to be harsh, but you are…"

"A fool?" Alejandro cut in matter of factly, quirking up an eyebrow and making Gerardo immediately go wide eyed.

It looked as if Gerardo was about to question how his son knew what he was going to say until Alejandro elaborated, "I know what you think about me. That night almost 2 years ago when you thought I was asleep, I heard what you told mamá about what you thought of me and my _actions_ on the show. _Every… last… word of it._ "

Gerardo, though still trying to maintain his usual level of seemingly unwavering composure, went wide eyed at what his son just _filled him in_ on.

It was silent for several moments between them before Gerardo cleared his throat and started, "Well… I _apologize_ for you having to hear all that in that way, but…" "Don't... because you were right." Alejandro interrupted, his tone almost cryptically even and flooring Gerardo even more.

But, Gerardo had no time to respond as the server brought drinks to the table.

Almost on cue as they left, Alejandro continued, "I mean it. You were right. I was practically enraged when you first said it, but after watching _everything_ and practically losing sleep over it… I couldn't deny it. I was a _damn_ fool. There were so many things I could have done in that moment that make me feel like a complete _idiota_ looking back on it. Mostly that I should have thrown that _damn_ mannequin into the volcano when I had the chance. Then I could have won. I could have had everything! I could have even had …"

Alejandro's entire demeanor immediately tensed up as a stream of thoughts engulfed him.

Everything from when he and Heather had that _exchange_ in Central Park, actually having their first proper conversation without being at each other's throats on the plane during the London challenge, their little _moment_ in first class (at least before Heather pushed him away), their kiss on top of the volcano in Hawaii… and then spiraling into him thinking of their make out sessions in the creek and her room before his mind finally settled on and practically almost taunted him with them _being together_ at the lake house in more ways than one.

It was clear Alejandro was letting himself practically get _consumed_ in his thoughts as Gerardo continued to observe _this_ in absolute intrigue until after a few moments he finally commented, taking advantage of his son's rare _translucent state,_ "You really are in love with her… aren't you?"

Alejandro's eyes went wide, his father's words pulling him out of his head. He grimaced slightly, debating for a moment if he really wanted to talk about this particular subject with his father.

Until… Alejandro looked like he had a twinge of defensive energy overtake him as he started, " _Yes_ , I love Heather. And I don't care what anyone else says or thinks otherwise. Because don't think I don't see _exactly_ what everyone else thinks of me. That everyone thinks I'm absolutely _loco_. Mother does and Carlos probably does. José practically _mocks_ and _teases me_ for it. And…"

" _Hijo…"_ Gerardo interjected, cutting off his son's defensive tirade, before continuing while trying to keep his tone calm, "Now son… Is there any way you can express yourself to me a bit more civilly on this subject, particularly without any more unnecessary _cheek_ toward me?"

Gerardo quirked up an expectant eyebrow at his son while Alejandro looked like he was almost forcing himself to calm down before saying, scrunching his eyes shut as he let out a strained sigh for a moment, " _Fine…_ then I will be honest when I admit that I am completely in love with her. Even after everything, I just… I just can never seem get her out of my mind. And… I don't even care. It took me trying to get revenge a couple months ago to finally see it and to stop being an absolute fool like I was the first time. To me, she's all that matters. She may be too _insufferably_ stubborn to admit it, but I know she feels the exact same way about me. That's why I had to do something..."

"So that's why you came up with that _plan_ to have her date you with that possible _ultimatum?_ " Gerardo surmised, still regarding his son with a focused and intrigued yet unreadable look.

"I had no choice. _She_ gave me no choice. Heather's just… ugh, she just _always_ has to make everything so _difficult_ constantly. _Dios mío,_ she drives me absolutely _insane!_ I _know_ she feels the exact same way about me, but she always keeps shoving me away and constantly treats my feelings as if they mean _nothing_ to her despite the fact I can see _right through it_. Why is it so _damn_ hard for her to just admit how she feels about me?! I just… ugh, _dammit..."_ Alejandro said, through his teeth in absolute frustration while trying to keep his voice down to avoid disturbing other customers around them in the restaurant.

He continued his look of frustration until Gerardo said, "Alejandro, _mijo…_ I do not doubt your feelings for her just as I don't doubt what you just said regarding her feelings toward you. However, if you think you are no longer a fool, then you have learned _nothing_ from your past errors. Because in my view after what you just _divulged_ to me... you are still just as much a fool now as you were then."

Alejandro's eyes went wide as he snapped subtly through his teeth, " _Pardon?_ "

"Again, Alejandro, I don't think you are unintelligent in the slightest. However, you always seem to overlook the most _obvious_ things, particularly in this instance with Heather. When the two of you were 18 and you paused on the volcano with her or when you had her voted out early on in the game a couple months back, what were you thinking? I'd honestly like to know… because personally to me there is no other answer aside from your own arrogant foolishness." Gerardo said, making Alejandro look like he was about to open his mouth to protest.

Well until Gerardo _put his foot down_ and continued, " _Don't_ deny it. You've always been one to _plan ahead_ , son. However you always seem to _plan_ for the wrong things when it comes to what's _actually_ important to you. You told me yourself on the way here that you told Heather you wanted to just forget everything in the past and move forward… and that's _precisely_ where you're wrong. If anything from my perspective, what the two of you _desperately_ need is to acknowledge _what's happened_ between you in order to move anywhere at all. What you and her need more than anything is to talk to each other."

After a moment, Alejandro let out an indignant scoff before commenting, " _Talk_? To Heather? You are aware of who we're discussing?"

"I'm serious, son. Now I know your young lady is a bit of a _tough nut to crack_ , but…" Gerardo started until Alejandro rolled his eyes and cut in, " _Tough nut?_ More like an impenetrable, cold anti-emotional wall. Heather Wilson does not _ever_ want to talk, which was why I did what I _had_ to do with her because she gave me no other choice."

"Only because you won't let her give you other choices since you fail to see true sense. Son… I know you love her and I could see that especially from earlier when you defended her as you did. Which I respect you for as a man defending a woman's honor. However, you can't _force_ 'love' into a situation and demand it. No one chooses to fall in love and you in particular were dealt quite a _difficult hand_ with her on that front from the start _._ Heather is a very _hardened_ young woman and seems very emotionally closed off. On top of that and from what little I've seen of her personally, she's quite strong and stubborn with sticking to _her ways._ "

Alejandro scoffed again and responded sarcastically, " _Yes_ , go on. Tell me _something_ I don't already know."

Gerardo; however, immediately leaned closer and looked his son right in the eye as he responded, "But, that's the point. She was like that to begin with, but after _everything_ that happened between the two of you in the past… you and her _need_ to have a serious talk between the two of you as equals. Not a forced one by one party. You laid out your feelings to her… now it is up to her to come to you."

" _Oh,_ and when will _that_ be? The way I see it, I'd be better off waiting for a rock to speak to me rather than Heather. Considering there is no _talking_ when it comes to Heather. So tell me. _When?_ " Alejandro retorted, still looking beyond frustrated and annoyed with his entire situation.

" _When_ she is good and ready to. While I will concede that there are many varieties of _successful relationships_ , but _all_ of them are based on honesty between the two individuals involved. If she really feels the same way about you as well, like you say and think she does… then she will come to you. But _that_ is her choice to make and her choice _only._ If you love her, then you must give her time." Gerardo expressed, giving his son a nod.

Alejandro looked frustrated, puzzled, and almost confounded to the nth degree as he processed _everything_.

It remained quiet between them until Gerardo said, "Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to use the _facilities_ while we have a moment."

Gerardo started to stand until Alejandro finally said, "Father? Before you go I just need to ask you one thing."

When Gerardo looked back to his son, he was almost surprised to see a look of almost _curiosity_ in his eyes.

Gerardo tilted his head as he inquired, "Sí?"

"Everyone else thinks I'm completely insane for how I feel about Heather, except you… _why?_ " Alejandro asked, not even attempting to _beat around the bush._

It was a silent standoff for a couple moments until Gerardo said, wringing his hands a little, "Well, while I don't want to _completely_ divulge _everything,_ I will be honest when I say that I do think you and her seem to be _very_ 'well matched' from what little I've seen."

Alejandro's eyes widened as he took that in as Gerardo stood up to use the bathroom, almost not believing what his father just admitted to him until his disbelief stretched even further as Gerardo put a hand on his shoulder.

"And just between us and while I'm aware it's still very _early_ days for the two of you... But, I do hope both of you work through things. Because if there's ever a point where a _necklace_ is in the future for her, then you'll hear no argument from me." Gerardo expressed, motioning to the long horn necklace around his neck with his free and proceeded to give his son a smirk and a wink before patting him on the shoulder a couple times and then made his way to the bathroom across the restaurant.

Meanwhile Alejandro was practically in an uncharacteristic state of shock as his eyes went wide at what his father just _admitted_ to him just now, particularly by basically telling Alejandro _exactly_ the _extent of his approval_ toward his involvement with Heather.

Alejandro continued to sit there in shock, taking advantage of the solitude at the table to take in _everything_ that was just said.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, looks like Alejandro got a bit of a 'reality check' of his own this chapter… as well as finding out exactly how much his father approves of him being with Heather if you guys were able to catch my drift on how Gerardo worded it. Though why exactly you say?… but more on that later. ;) More importantly though, I really wanted to highlight Alejandro's flaws with his pettiness and arrogance just like I displayed Heather's with her absolute denial and bad attitude in the previous chapter because this is something that I believe most Aleheather shippers agree on deep down… Yes, even though we love their relationship for how perfectly twisted and ridiculous they are together… it's that both Alejandro and Heather really have a lot to sort out between them. As much as both of them, especially Alejandro, want to just ignore the past… they have WAY too much 'emotional baggage' to just be ignored between them that they seriously need to talk through if they ever have a snowflake's chance in hell of being together in a serious relationship. And I really thought Gerardo, being the 'tough love' father I made him to be, was just the person to tell Alejandro that he can't force anything to happen between himself and Heather unless if that's also what Heather wants as well. C'mon Alejandro! I know both you and Heather like to play your little frustratingly hilarious 'mind games' with each other, but even you can't just treat everything like a game. Truth sucks sometimes, Al! Haha. But… what about Heather at this point you may ask? Stay tuned for the next installment! ;) Anyway, thanks for reading so much as always and constructive reviews are always appreciated very much. Hope you all are continuing to stay well!
> 
> Stay classy all!
> 
> Dexter1995


	16. Reminisce

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay… this week for me at work was literally insane. And literally the only thing keeping me going is my dog and creative writing in my down time. So, you can imagine my surprise and complete feeling of being thoroughly touched to know from some of you guys that I wasn't alone in this recently since some of you were even apologizing to me for reviewing 'late'. PLEASE DON'T! Again, the fact you guys review at all touches me more than you know. And the fact that some of you are even telling me that this fanfic is helping you get through your tough days too makes writing this all the more enjoyable for me to write, because trust me… I am still 110% still inspired as all get out to keep writing this fanfic! I am a writing mad woman right now and I am HERE FOR IT! Lol. Anyway, just thank you guys for being so awesome and I can only hope and pray with every fiber of my being that I am still doing justice to these characters for you guys. Anyway, I'll step down from my soap box and let you guys read the chapter already. This chapter picks up right after Heather and Shane's little 'reunion'. Hope you enjoy!

**(Heather's POV)**

I practically stomped back into the house, still feeling like my stomach was being squeezed in a vice, not even remotely caring as I violently kicked off my sandals at the door before stomping upstairs.

Once I got to my room as I threw my purse at the wall on the opposite side of the room, before gripping my hands into my hair and gritting my teeth so hard to the point of thinking they were going to shatter to pieces.

Ugh, at this point, even my damn head felt way.

_Just… WHATEVER?! Who the hell does he think he even is anyway?! Telling me all that bullshit!_

_Just… UGH!_

Slowly, I craned my neck to the side only to be looking straight on at the plaque with our picture on it from our first showcase competition win from when we were 8, triggering _something_.

* * *

 _For as long as I've known you, you have always been a backstabbing, cold, vain, and vengeful bitch who will not hesitate to get at_ anyone _who even looks at you wrong. You never know when to quit, Heather! And that's your problem!_

* * *

As much as I wanted to look away, it was like I couldn't stop as I kept looking down the line of plaques and I kept hearing his voice getting louder and louder.

* * *

" _...That stupid damn show that did nothing but make a fool out of you and got your damn head shaved in front of the entire damn world on fluke finally does you a favor by basically dropping the only guy who was an equal to you and you were SO into right at your feet. Then what the hell do you do? You kick him in the balls_ and _shove him off a volcano?! WHAT THE FUCK, HEATHER?!"_

* * *

"Shut… up…" I strained out through my teeth, forcing my eyes closed so tight I thought I was giving myself a freaking aneurysm as I gripped my hands to the sides of my head.

It was almost like I was trying to futilely squeeze whatever the hell was in my brain out. Nothing… All I could hear was _that_ voice now.

* * *

Your _'problem' is you don't like anything that makes you feel like you don't have any 'control' or feel 'emotion'. The moment you_ feel _anything in that cold fucking blackhole in your chest that you call a heart that makes you feel_ any _vulnerability, you get scared and immediately have it flat out_ obliterated _to save your pride and to maintain your control over_ everything… _even though that's all a load of_ crap _. You just hate letting anyone in because it makes you feel_ weakness _._

* * *

"You don't know _shit_ , Shane…" I strained out again to myself, feeling like I was literally losing my mind as the words just kept assaulting me and there was nothing I could do to stop it.

* * *

 _You literally shoved that pompous-ass Spanish prick off a FUCKING volcano after kicking him in the balls on International TV and he for some demented reason is_ still _into you!_

* * *

My entire chest felt like it was converging and I felt like I literally couldn't breath as I continued to grit my teeth and squeeze my hands on the sides of my head, almost halfway into going into a damn fetal position at this point.

Then the words came though louder than ever...

* * *

_WHEN WILL YOU STOP BEING SUCH A MISERABLE BITCH?!_

_MISERABLE BITCH!.._

_MISERABLE BITCH!..._

* * *

I exasperated out loud as I looked over at my prom picture with him and ripped it off the wall and practically threw it on the floor, even though the damn thing didn't break since my floor _had_ to be carpeted.

_Dammit..._

But, it didn't stop me from kicking it across the room into a wall... and it _still_ didn't even scratch it.

It was dead quiet _finally_ as I glared at the picture laying face down on the floor as I spat out through my teeth, "How's _that_ for a ' _miserable bitch'_?"

I know I _definitely_ look totally demented but... whatever?! I just... UGH! I need to go for a run.

I immediately started changing into my work out clothes. Usually I don't workout mid-afternoon, but I just need to let off some steam and forget all this crap.

_Seriously?! Who do those stupid jerks think they are anyway?!_

No one and I mean _NO ONE_ tells me what to do. I don't need to take any of this bullshit from anyone. Not from Shane, not from _him..._ Matter of fact, I don't need _anyone_.

I'm better off alone.

Always have been; always will be.

_**8 hours later** _

**({No POV})**

Heather was laying in her bed, looking like she was trying and failing to practically force herself to fall asleep.

She kept tossing and turning, keeping her eyes forced shut as she did so out of her own frustration. It still didn't stop the chaotic vortex of thoughts from tearing through her mind.

Eventually she settled on laying on her back and pressing one of her pillows over her face... well until she let out a muffled grunt into the pillow before tossing it aside at the wall.

"Ugh, this is ridiculous!" She growled through her teeth as she sat up on the edge of her bed.

But once she put her feet down to the floor, she felt something skim the side of her left foot.

It was a book she hadn't touched in months that she shoved under her bed, but not because of the book itself. Her focus fixated on the piece of paper sticking out of the top of the book.

Heather slowly picked it up off the floor and opened the book before pulling out the picture of Alejandro that she cut out of the magazine that was sent to each of the contestants before the start of season 3.

It was from the typical 'meet the contestants' type excerpt that lots of movies and TV shows do for promotion, something that Heather had gone through 4 times already... not that she minded.

Whether as a child or a young adult now, Heather always craved the spotlight for being the center of attention.

So when a reporter came knocking to do their usual pre-season interview for her bio... she had no objections at telling them about herself and her accomplishments.

But, that was the furthest thing from her mind at the current second as she looked at the picture of Alejandro, practically zeroing her focus on it. Feeling like his eyes from the picture were practically bearing into her.

It looked like her mind was going off practically into a different dimension as she reached her free hand to the side of her neck.

A subtly blush slowly crossing her face as she kept looking at the picture, her mind putting the night at the lake house at the forefront of her mind... and it wasn't hard to guess which _part_ of the night that she was fixed on, considering it was something she had a _very_ hard time pushing down since the moment it happened.

She scrunched her eyes shut before shaking her head and shoving it back into the book and said with annoyed and flustered venom dripping from her voice, giving the book a hard glare, " _This_ is all your fault, you stupid... _jerk._ "

Almost as if to punctuate her statement, she shoved the book violently under her bed before crossing her arms and looking off to the opposite corner of her room.

Her and Shane's prom picture still face down on the floor in the exact same spot, her glare almost getting sharper by the second until he mind brought up something that she hadn't thought about in years.

Even though she hadn't thought about it, it was a day she swears she'd _never_ forget...

_**5 years ago** _

After the conclusion of _Total Drama_ season 1, all the contestants returned home to resume their usual life as high school students just like anyone else.

One of them being Heather Wilson.

Despite the _incident_ , Heather looked determined to resume her usual school routine as her school's self-proclaimed _queen bee_.

She walked through the entrance of the school, passing groups of students who still maintained their distance from her but were laughing and snickering to themselves as Heather passed them, but she was determined to ignore every last one of them… or at least that's how she was showing it.

She maintained her usual neutral and cold demeanor as she made her way into the grade 11 hallway and started to open her locker and organize her things, including her magnetic locker mirror.

As Heather was organizing her things, she saw Shane start opening the locker next to hers as they exchanged a ritual nod between them.

Since they've been in school together for over a decade and they both have 'W' last names in the alphabet, Heather and Shane having neighboring lockers was never new.

After nodding to each other they both continued to organize their things.

Heather looked like she was about to shut her locker until she heard, "Heather! Hold up!"

It was a voice she knew all too well, whether it was junior high or high school.

_Brian Cantor._

She looked determined to ignore him until he came up right behind her and said, "Hey Heather, so _question_... How come that stupid dweeb on TV got to see your boobs but I couldn't? Or have you _finally_ lowered your standards enough to finally let us have a shot?"

Heather slammed her locker shut, a look of tense rage in her entire demeanor, and also catching the attention of everyone nearby in the hallway.

" _Fuck... off... Brian..._ " Heather strained through her teeth with her back turned to him still.

"Oh, someone's got their _panties in a wad_ this morning. Or maybe..." Brain led on until he immediately grabbed Heather's wig and pulled it off her head in front of the entire hallway, revealing her freshly shaved head to the entire hall, and continuing, "You _finally_ know what it feels like to get your ass handed to you?"

Heather finally froze up in shock, looking like she wanted to die as she kept looking at her locker blankly with wide eyes.

"Not so _tough_ now, are you ' _Zit'-son_? Then again maybe I should call you 'Wig-son' now _considering_?" Brian said, bringing up one of the old taunting nicknames everyone used to call her back in junior high when she used to have acne that even made Shane's look like nothing back in the day.

At that moment, Brian and numerous other people around them started laughing.

Well until Shane finally stepped between Heather and Brian and immediately snagged Heather's wig out of his hand.

Shane took his now obvious height and strength advantage over Brian as he got in his face and said, sounding even but dead serious, "Back off..."

But, Brian and the surrounding observers just immediately erupted into immature ' _Oh's'_ as Brian finally said, "Seriously _Wuss-ton_? For as much as you guys deny being _hooked up_... are you sure you're not dating?"

All of a sudden Shane felt himself get pushed slightly as Heather ran past him and everyone else as everyone continued to laugh.

Shane started to run to catch up to Heather as Brian called out immaturely and mockingly, " _Yeah_ Shane, go see your _girlfriend_!"

Shane gave him a hard glare for a second before shrugging it off by rolling his eyes and just continuing to try and catch up with Heather.

Well until he found her in this classroom pod for the Mathematics classrooms that was still empty, and still having that look about her like she was pissed off while also having an existential crisis.

Shane took a moment before he cautiously approached her, rubbing the back of his neck for a second as he started, "Hey... thought you'd want this back."

Heather gave him a defensive look and snatched her wig back out of his hand and started, "NO SHANE! I want my hair back! Look at me! None of those loser peons are taking me seriously anymore! I'm _nothing_ without my hair! I'm..."

"Heather!" Shane cut in, raising his voice slightly and making it enough to catch her off guard.

Shane sighed and put his hands on her shoulders before saying, "Seriously? The same Heather I saw punch out and then humiliate Brian Cantor in front of the entire damn town is now letting that _ass-hat_ get to her?"

"OH! _Really?!_ Then how about I pants you in the middle of the hallway and let me see you act any differently?!" Heather spit back defensively, clearly still _completely_ self-conscious about being bald, as she shoved his hands off.

"Look, Brian sucks. Tell either of us something we _don't know_. Point is, you shouldn't let him or anyone get to you. Remember right before we started high school when we promised to not let anyone make us feel like crap again? Well, I'm telling you. You're Heather Wilson. You rule this place... you _still_ do. And don't let _anyone_ or anything make you feel like you're _less._ And if anyone does... then screw 'em. It's like what you told me, ' _The more you give in to believing that 'loser crap', the more it turns you into one'._ So don't let them make you into one. Besides, after that time you stood up for me back in the day... let's call us even now, huh?" Shane smiled in his usual good natured way and nodded as he took a step back, crossing his arms expectantly.

It was quiet for a few seconds until Heather looked down at her wig and dipped her head down before throwing the wig over her head and then proceeded to get it resituated, looking at her reflection in a nearby window on a classroom door.

Heather smirked at herself slightly before turning to Shane with a similar expression and asking, "How's it look?"

Shane just smiled again before saying, "Awesome."

He looked like he was about to head off to his first class of the morning when he gave her another friendly grin and pat her slightly on the shoulder.

And although clearly pushing down her old _insecurities_ that she thought she buried 6 feet under along with her old adolescent self... Heather grinned slightly to herself at the new found _vote of confidence_ she didn't know she needed.

_**Later that day** _

Heather walked into the girl's bathroom at the front of the school, seeing it was empty as per usual right at the end of the school day, and proceeded to do some final re-touches on her makeup.

She assumed her usual routine as she touched up her lip gloss in the mirror, until she heard the door swing open.

Heather seemed determined to keep working on her make up until she heard a voice that night as well have been nails on a chalk board say, "Oh, look who decided to show up."

She glanced over only to confirm who was talking to her from her _educated guess_.

Shoulder length light blonde hair, brown eyes, and a sense of style and popularity that rivaled only Heather's at their school.

_Macie Sherman._

Heather looked determined to not look at her and keep up her current task as she responded, "And why wouldn't I show up? It's the first day of school. Or are you just that stupid?"

Macie didn't respond as she just took the sink and mirror space right next to Heather and started working on her make up as well as Heather finally gave her a sharp glare with a testy voice that matched, "Um, excuse me? Are you ignorant to the rules of bathroom courtesy? There's like 8 other mirrors and sinks in here, did you seriously have to occupy one _directly_ next to me?"

Macie just kept putting on her mascara as she responded, sounding like she was enjoying the fact that she was getting to Heather, "It's a free country. I can use whatever one I want."

" _Yeah_ , _this_ is a free country. But, maybe all that bleach you use to dye your hair has finally seeped through your stupid head and given you brain damage. So, allow me to remind you... _this_ is _my_ school and what _I_ say goes. Now move or hit the bricks." Heather threatened through her teeth, giving Macie an absolute death glare.

Macie just smirked and put her hands on her hips as she turned toward Heather as she remarked, "Well... seems at least you haven't _lost your touch_. You know, considering you've been 'losing' quite a bit lately. Particularly after that close shave of a performance on _Total Drama_. Oh wait, my bad... for you it literally was a _close shave_ , wasn't it?"

Macie proceeded to snicker to herself.

Meanwhile Heather had to fight her first self-conscious urge to touch the wig on her head.

But, she clenched her fists at her side before putting her hands on her hips back at Macie and started, "Macie, in case you haven't noticed, you're lame-ass little cronies aren't here to help you. So, if you don't relent and beat it, then how about I take off my shoe and turn it sideways before I stick it up your..."

"What Heather? Up my ass? _Please_ like I haven't heard _that_ before." Macie countered unimpressed.

Well, until Heather countered as she casually looked at her nails, "Actually I was going to say up your uterus. You know, considering you're so full of crap that my shoe would have nowhere to go that way."

Macie's eyes went wide before they slowly narrowed at Heather.

Well, until she smirked and said, getting right in Heather's face, "Well... at least _I_ still have my hair."

There were a few seconds of silence before Heather grabbed Macie with the force of a vice by her hair and started dragging her over to a stall before shoving her head into a toilet and gave her a 'grade A' and text book swirly.

Macie was screaming and resisting her fate but was unable to avoid Heather's absolute wrath as Heather kept holding her head in the toilet and repeating the process. Until after about 6 flushes Heather finally stopped and relaxed her grip on Macie, letting her fall to the floor in a hyperventilating state.

A deviously satisfied smirk now crossed Heather's face as she said, "Well, hope you _still_ enjoy your hair now, _sucker._ "

Macie was just laying on the floor in a state of shock as Heather proceeded to walk out of the bathroom, a smirk slowly crossing her face as she made her way confidently out of the school to her car to drive home from the student parking lot.

_**Present day** _

Heather continued to look at the picture on the floor before biting her lip until slowly and almost tentatively got up before slowly kneeling down and picking up.

She gave the picture an almost _thoughtful_ look for a moment before looking back to the blank space on the wall where it hung.

It took a few seconds until she sighed and hung it back up in its place on her wall.

Heather stepped back slightly and looked on at the wall, though now having a slightly different experience than she did earlier in the day.

She smirked a little as she looked on at all the pictures until finally settling on the prom picture again. Her expression turned slightly, thinking back to _what happened_ earlier between them, taking on an almost _guilty_ look.

She looked away from the picture as she hung her head and strained out in frustration as she scrunched her eyes shut again, " _Dammit..."_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, looks like Heather's finally is having some moments of dare I say partial 'clarity'? Again, while Heather is one twisted and manipulative chick, she's still a human being with insecurities and feelings of her own... even if she keeps most of them buried deep down most of the time. Haha. But, I also just wanted to show more of Heather and Shane's dynamic from when they were in high school together and to show that part of the reason why Heather and Shane have this sense of almost 'loyalty' to each other is because in their own weird way... they both do stick up for each other and see each other as someone worthy of some level of respect. But again, more will be elaborated on that later. ;) Ever since Heather got her head shaved and we saw how much she freaked out and went a little crazy over being bald and constantly trying to cover her head... I actually thought that was a pretty powerful thing for the show to do with Heather's character. Since on the outside for all of season 1, Heather seemed like a girl very confident in herself and her appearance, but having her head shaved seemed to have 'morphed her' in a way. Heck! She even took pity on Sierra and went out of her way to make sure Sierra had something to cover her head so she wouldn't have to be completely bald on TV after she lost her hair in the explosion. So, Heather does have 'sympathy' potential to give... it's just a Wonder of the World sized work in progress. But again... it's Heather, so go figure? Lol. XD Also, hope you liked seeing the rivalry between Heather and Shane's ex-girlfriend Macie, who is easy to see why she was an ex at a certain point since she's a pretty shallow mean girl herself that enjoys getting under Heather's skin and partially dated Shane to further get to her since she knew Shane was one of the few people Heather seemed to mildly tolerate if not like… though bet she regretted it after that, huh? Lol. XD And just in case any of you were wondering where Heather saw this 'braver side' of Shane before he totally exploded on her in chapter 14… this was it! Mostly I just wanted to show more of Shane's character and how unlike a lot of the people in the top of the school's social circles, he really is just a good, loyal, and decent guy. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed my portrayal of both an insecure and conflicted Heather. Thanks for reading as always and constructive reviews are always appreciated.
> 
> Stay classy and safe to each and everyone of you!
> 
> Dexter1995
> 
> P.S. Just a little known fun fact in the Total Drama/Aleheather ship community, Marco Grazzini (Alejandro's original voice actor) is an Aleheather shipper... which to me is hilarious and flat out amazing! Lol. XD No joke, the guy has admitted this without shame in interviews and on his personal YouTube channel even has a video dedicated to the ship with scenes of Alejandro and Heather interactions from TDWT... again, YES! I love this man! We stan a voice actor who enjoys their work enough to ship the characters! Lol. And seriously, for those of you who have never seen Marco Grazzini, this guy is literally Alejandro IRL. No joke, they literally picked the perfect guy to voice him! Considering he is one charming and fine looking man. Just saying... Lol. XD


	17. Peculiarity

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, again, many and I mean MANY gratitudes to all of you supporting this fanfic. Though writing this alone has been fun and one of the few things keeping me going through my career at this point, you guys have made this experience all the more interesting and fun so just thank you for the continued kindness and support to this fanfic project of mine. :) Anyway, this chapter skips ahead to a little over a month after Alejandro dropped Heather off when they had their fight at the lake house. Hope you all enjoy it!

**(Alejandro's POV)**

I finally rounded the corner back onto my street and stopped jogging before pacing back and forth to cool down in the driveway as I looked at my watch and put my fore and middle fingers to my pulse point on my neck.

 _Well, my heart rate seems right on target as per usual. Wish I could say that about_ something else…

"Buenos días, mijo!" I looked over and saw my mother walking out of the house with her bags.

_Okay Alejandro, you can do this..._

I grinned and jogged over and helped mother with her bags to the car.

After I got them into the trunk for her, she smiled and said, putting her hands on either side of my face.

"Gracias Alejandro, I can always count on my amable gentleman son to help me. Now just let me look at you one last time before I go… Oh, I know I always say this, but you look more and more like your padre everyday." She said, smiling at me before kissing me on each cheek like she's done since I was a child.

Even though smiling is the last thing I wanted to do right now with _everything_ going on in my head… I managed to smile back as I said, "Of course, mamá. Hope you and father have a nice trip back home."

"Oh we will. It will be a nice change for us to have a bit of break. Fortunately, I was able to line up some company meetings with your padre's review with the embassy. After that, we are both hoping to have a nice little _recreo._ Speaking of… aren't you going to hug your 'dear mamá' before she goes?" She said, opening her arms and waving her hands at me.

I smiled as I put my hands up before saying, "Well, I just finished my run…" "No importa. Now stop making excuses and hug your mother." She said playfully, giving me her usual warm smile.

I gave in and let her hug me and kiss me on the cheek again.

Right as we separated, father walked toward us with his suitcase as he said, looking toward mother with an almost _playful_ expression, "Never thought I'd see the day with only two bags. Traveling a bit lighter this time, I see..."

Mother gave my father a playful look back and said, her tone having a little playful warning to match, " _Gerardo…_ "

Father chuckled and said, "Lo siento, only joking, mi amada. Pity Elena, I thought you knew me better than _that_. At least after almost 35 years of marriage I'd like to think so, _mi reina._ "

Father came up next to her and gave her a kiss on the cheek like he usually did with her, making her smile slightly for a second before she continued to give my father a playful look, "I'd say so... _mi rey._ "

Mother reached over, putting her hand on father's cheek and giving him a light but lingering kiss like she's done every day before she goes to work for as long as I could remember.

As much as it made my entire stomach feel like it was being crushed in a vice at the moment… I couldn't fight back a slight smile.

After they separated, they exchanged a smile before father opened the passenger door for mother and helped her in before throwing his suitcase in the trunk.

He looked to me before saying, "Well, José is already off on that 'bachelor-stag party' trip with his _friends_ , so you should have full reign of the house. I hope you don't mind us letting Isobel take the week off?"

I shrugged before saying, "Doesn't matter. I can manage. She told me she was insisting on prepping some meals for me ahead of time for dinner, which was kind. Besides, I think I could use some _solitude_ personally at the moment."

My eyes immediately looked off at the street as I let out a frustrated sigh, not even bothering to cover it up.

"Still nothing?" I heard father inquire, making the vice in my stomach get tighter and tighter. I pursed my lips before letting out a sigh as I said, trying and failing to not sound completely frustrated, " _Not a thing…"_

At that moment, I felt father put a hand on my shoulder, "Chin up, mijo. It's just been a month."

" _Just?"_ I scoffed indignantly, still feeling like everything about this was so frustratingly pointless that I wondered why I haven't lost my mind completely.

"Alejandro, _Rome wasn't built in a day_. Just take this time to yourself to 'sort through things'. Who knows? A little rest and relaxation for once could do you some good. Just don't give up so easily, sí? And speaking of time… your mother and I should be off to our flight." Father said, checking his watch.

I put a hand up saying, trying to force a slight smile, "Yes, go. I'll handle things here. And… I'll try."

Father slowly smirked at me before giving me a couple pats on the shoulder and then got in the car himself.

I waited until they rounded the corner and smirked as I waved them off… and then felt like I ran another 5K as I walked into the house, feeling drained.

I kicked off my cross-trainers at the door before making my way up stairs and getting set for a _much_ needed shower, and not just because of the jog.

When I undressed and tossed everything aside and got in, I made the water as hot as I could stand it in the hopes the steam would somehow clear my head.

Even though I can already say to myself that I know it won't work.

The anger and frustration has been doing nothing but just _fester_ and continue to tear through me since the last time I saw her.

I know father told me to wait for Heather to reach out to me, but… I'm still standing by that this is all just a hopeless and complete waste of time.

My whole body staggered in the shower as I put my hand against the wall and let out a sigh, just letting the water run over me.

But... I have no idea what else to do?

It's not like I can even forget about her and try to move on. For me... it's not even a remote option at this stage.

As much as José especially _mocks me_ and makes jabs at me for not ' _trying anything'_ with other girls because of _my feelings_ for Heather, but I just… _can't_.

No matter what I do there's just _nothing_. Because now I look at other girls… and _nothing_.

I want nothing, I feel nothing, I do nothing because I _can't._

Because of _her_ , other women might as well be nothing, practically like a wall… or a lamp.

_Her…_

_AGH! THIS IS ALL HER FAULT!_ Why did I have to let myself fall for her?!

_ESTÚPIDO!_

She's just such an insufferable, unreasonable, and infuriating _bruja_! But I'm still so in love with her that I feel like I'm being tortured from the inside out, and yet… it's like I still can't help but just _embrace it._

Especially after that night at the lake house with her, it's only been worse.

 _Much_ worse.

I thought I wanted Heather before, but how I feel now makes _that_ seem like a passing teenage crush. Now that I've had her and been with her, it's no longer a 'want'.

It's like now I... _crave_ her, _need_ her.

Just having that feeling that I can still only describe as absolute _satisfaction_ and just… _perfection_ that I felt with her. And yet even that somehow seems inadequate to capture that _experience_.

Every single aspect and _sensation_ of us together in that moment just felt so entirely _right_. The overall _connection,_ her body against mine, her arms locking around my neck and shoulders, her breath against my skin, and her fingers running through and gripping into my hair as we just let _everything_ between us practically _consume us_.

Everything that's been held back between both of us since that third season til that moment was just an open flood gate that night.

Then… she just treated that 'mutual moment' between us and my love like _nothing._

" _Carajo_!" I growled through my teeth in frustration as I slammed my fist against the wall of the shower, my breathing becoming ragged. I ran my other hand over my hair, still feeling like I was completely losing my mind.

I almost rushed through the rest of my shower, just trying to focus on _anything else_.

_**2 hours later** _

What am I even doing?

All I've been doing for the past hour after trying to keep my mind occupied is lay on the couch in the living room. I just have no idea what I'm even doing anymore?

My whole life I've been so used to having a full itinerary nearly every single day. School, sports, lessons, helping entertain mother and father's friends and associates at dinner and cocktail parties.

But now since I decided to take a break for the past two semesters from school to _reacclimate_ _myself_ to a normal _physical existence_ that wasn't trudging through the house and feeling weak as if I was perpetually infirm.

As it was I practically focused all my time into working out and putting weight back on to get myself back to my former _physique_ that had almost completely deteriorated during my _recovery_.

Even then, since the only place I was comfortable for the longest time was laying in a bed, I pretty much concentrated all my time outside of physical therapy, treatments, and doctor's appointments into academics for those 3 years.

Luckily due to my _circumstances_ with my injuries and some _connections_ my father had, I was able to do all my classes online for my international relations degree. The material was easy enough for me to do remotely since I've been practically studying this since I was 13.

For as long as I could remember and also because of a life long exposure, I've always wanted to be involved in politics and diplomacy like my father.

And since I had nothing but time, as well as just a lot of _things on my mind_ I was trying to ignore, I took the maximum amount of credit hours that they'd allow me to do and just poured myself into my academics.

Then as a result I was able to obtain my bachelor's degree in international relations with a minor in sociology and just waiting on starting grad school.

But then I decided to take a few semesters off for _Total Drama_ and then _her_ and finally let myself _think_ again, but look at what's happened to me.

I allowed her to consume me even more than she already had.

Who cares about degrees, a lucrative career to look forward to, a powerful future… nothing! None of that matters because the one _damn_ thing I _really_ want will just eternally taunt me until I finally lose every ounce of my sanity over _her._

It's like I can't do _anything_ without thinking about her.

I even tried to watch the second _Scrollsaw_ movie to distract myself last week since it was one of the few _leisure_ activities I could think of that I was interested in doing but then ended up shutting it off in the first five minutes because all I could think about was…

AGH! DAMMIT HEATHER! POR QUÉ?! Why must you do this to me?!

 _Ay, Dios mío_...

As much as I'm frustrated with _everything_ about her and her denial with _EVERYTHING_ , I just… I _miss_ her.

 _Ugh…_ _What do I do?_

I kept laying there, gripping my hands into my hair, and practically dissecting my brain for _any_ idea until the doorbell going off practically snapped me back into reality.

I got up off the couch for the first time in an hour as I quirked up an eyebrow at the door.

_Strange?... Mother and Father didn't say to expect anyone?_

The doorbell went off again and I rolled my eyes, thinking it was one of José's _amigos_ who didn't 'get the memo' on where to show up.

But, right as I opened the door… my entire body just immediately locked up as my eyes went wide and almost felt like they were going to fall out of my head while my stomach felt like it was contorting violently.

And _said person_ now reflecting a similar state right back at me.

 _Heather_.

She was standing there plain as day, but... I didn't know how to feel?

It's like I was right back to square one with my conflicting feelings toward her that I had during my years in recovery.

On one hand I was so happy to see her because of how much I missed her, then on the other hand just the sight of her painfully disgusted me and tore me apart after _everything_.

Though at the moment… the annoyed disdain felt strongest for me.

I gave her a skeptical, hard, and conflicted look as I tilted my head and crossed my arms before saying, my voice laced with passive aggressive venom, "May I _help_ you?"

She immediately looked away from me, crossing her arms with a _look_ of some kind in her eyes.

But, _nothing_. She just remained silent.

_Of course, just as insufferably stubborn as ever. Not surprised in the slightest._

_But… then why is she here?_

I was also about to question how she was able to figure out where I lived if it wasn't for how she was able to even get into our secured gated community with limited access? Sure Heather's subdivision is gated as well, but not to the scale of mine.

Basically access is only granted to residents, designated family members, and people with guest passes in their possession such as friends.

Especially since I could see her silver, hard top convertible in the driveway… I was _definitely_ intrigued to say the least.

Eventually I couldn't help my curiosity as I inquired, "So.. how did you manage to get in here? Didn't you have to get past security?"

She still didn't look at me at first until she rolled up her left sleeve and revealed the tennis bracelet I gave her as she turned it to show me the long horn charm on the clasp before explaining matter of factly, "Easy. Showed this to that _roid monkey_ working the checkpoint... he let me in without question."

My eyes went wide and I had to practically fight off a smirk at her since I still felt like every muscle in my body was being crushed in a vice since I was _still_ more than upset with her… but, I had to concede that I was impressed by her _plan of action_.

" _Clever._ " I conceded shortly.

She rolled her sleeve back down and gave me a look that was just as unreadable as mine before responding, her tone just as short, " _Naturally._ "

It remained silent and the only sound was cool fall wind blowing some dried fallen leaves over the pavement.

"You still didn't answer my first question." I pointed out, still feeling conflicted to completion about the entirety of the situation.

But, as much as I was conflicted as she was just continuing to avoid responding to the _obvious subject matter_ from me… I couldn't help myself from continuing to look at her after not seeing her for over a month.

She was dressed in a lavender cold-shoulder long sleeve blouse, black leggings, and a pair of knee high leather fashion boots that all suited her to a T. Her hair was down but held back with a headband that complimented the rest of her outfit.

_She always does have an excellent sense of style for herself._

Though she _infuriates_ me to no end still…. She looked just as beautiful and put together as ever.

It remained silent until I finally gave her a glare and started, "Look Heather, as I _very_ well remember, you seem to prefer to treat anything with me as just ' _a waste of your time'_. So, if you have nothing to say to me… then _adíos_."

I started to shut the door on her until my eyes went wide when she practically overpowered my control over the door shoved it back open as she said, "HEY!"

She gave me a hard glare and grabbed me by the shirt and started jabbing me in the chest with her left index finger as she spat, " _OH no_! I did _not_ just drive almost 5 FUCKING hours all the way here after almost hitting a damn deer and getting stuck in traffic with having nothing half-ways decent come through on my radio for the majority of the way just to have a stupid door slammed in my face by _you_!"

"Then why ARE you _here_ then, Heather? Just _stopping by_ to rub more 'salt in the wound' like you _always_ have to do to me?!" I countered, testy and still entirely frustrated with her.

"No, you stupid jerk! I'm here to!…" She started, only to stop and scrunch her eyes shut, her jaw tensing up on reflex.

Though progressively her whole demeanor tensed up, almost looking like someone was twisting a knife into her back by the almost _pained_ and _uncomfortable_ look on her face.

I quirked up an eyebrow, confused by what was happening as I crossed my arms and pressed, knowing my tone was still _quite_ short, "Here to what?"

It was dead silent until I heard her let out a rough sigh before slowly looking up at me.

Her hands were clenched so tight at her sides that I saw her knuckles turn white before it finally looked like her demeanor relaxed slightly as she opened her eyes and said, _hesitant_ and almost strained, " _Alejandro_ , I… I'm just here to… I want to… _Ugh,_ why is this so _damn_ hard?!"

I gave her an even more confused look as she looked like she kept twisting up in annoyed and frustrated confliction.

Well, until she finally let out a long sigh before she looked me right in the eye and said, _very_ direct, " _Look…_ I'm here to talk."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And cliffhanger!... I apologize. Lol. XD But, just trust me that there is more to come, including explaining how Heather even ended up going to see Alejandro to talk. Wow, Heather actually wanting to talk to Alejandro? How did that end up happening?! Now the apocalypse must really be upon us if Heather wants to do something like that, right? Lol. All will be answered in time! Also, I hope you enjoyed me showing some more of the 'Burromuerto familia', mainly more of Alejandro's mother Elena. Since last time we saw more of her protective and intense maternal side in the flashback, I wanted to show her more present sweet and doting side with how affectionate she is as a mother, particularly with Alejandro. And also her dynamic with Gerardo as a married couple. Honestly I'm a heavy believer in the 'monkey see monkey do' theory with how children are exposed to and learn certain things, and I could see part of the reason why Alejandro is such a flirt with girls (especially Heather) is because that's all he knows from watching his parents dynamic as a couple. To me it just made sense that if his parents were usually flirting, being affectionate, and playfully teasing each other as part of their dynamic and Alejandro observed this, then naturally that mentality would rub off on him and explain why he is a bit of a romantic, and also because he just enjoys teasing and making Heather flustered with his flirting as well. But hey… that's Alejandro for you! We love you Alejandro… you teasing, sly, manipulative flirt. Lol. XD Anyway, hope you also enjoyed the look into Alejandro's head with his conflicting thoughts and feelings over Heather and what he really wants. A great many thanks to all of you for taking the time to read and constructive feedback is always appreciated! Seriously, hearing from you guys and hearing your thoughts on what I've written literally makes my day so much that you have literally no idea right now. So if you have time and want to make a constructive comment… don't ever be shy! :) Hope you all and your loved ones are safe and well as always.
> 
> Stay Classy!
> 
> Dexter1995


	18. Real Talk

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So… what contributed to the events of the previous chapter? You're about to find out... at least partially. ;) This chapter begins the day after Heather and Shane's explosion of a reunion. Hope you enjoy!

**({No POV})**

Heather's mother looked like she was getting her things together to head out for a committee meeting at the country club.

She seemed to be rummaging through her purse by the door, in search of her phone… until she heard knocking. She stopped abruptly and eventually opened the door, thinking it was possibly a delivery person of some kind… until her eyes went wide at who she saw.

Though she hadn't seen him in almost 3 and a half years and now had a clean 5 O'clock shadow look and was back to wearing glasses again (though now a very suiting pair for him _fashion wise_ ), she knew _exactly_ who she was looking at and one of the only people her youngest daughter seemed to be in anyway _close_ with… and also was _very_ well liked by herself and her husband.

Heather's mother immediately broke out in a smile as she said, "Shane! It's been years! So nice to see you. How have you been? I remembered your mom telling me you were home for the semester."

Shane smiled slightly as he replied good naturedly, "Nice to see you too, Mrs. Wilson. And… I can't complain. Just university and internships mostly, so I keep myself busy. Um… is Heather home?"

Heather's mother's eyes went wide again as she said, trying not to _make a thing of it_ , "Sure, she's upstairs in her room. I'm actually just off to a committee meeting at the country club so… I'll just leave you to it. Again, so nice to see you."

Shane just smiled slightly as he said, "Thanks, Mrs. Wilson."

As he walked past her, she couldn't help but notice what was in his hands.

Shane was carrying 2 glass bottles of what was clearly wine and some other kind spirits, one in each hand, and caused Heather's mother to quirk up an eyebrow in curiosity.

Before Alejandro, Shane was always a point of _fascination_ to Heather's parents and just the whole family in general when it came to Heather.

Mainly because he was one of the few people, much less boys, who didn't seem entirely _put off_ by Heather. Considering the two interacted with each other on a regular basis for 12 years, he was the only person outside their family before Alejandro who seemed to be around Heather most frequently.

Though the two never exhibited _romantic feelings_ toward each other _,_ Heather's parents always tried to hold on to some _shred_ of hope that there was _something_ before they were left _completely_ disappointed after they graduated high school.

Mostly because they just couldn't _ever_ understand why Heather and Shane never seemed to have an 'attraction' at some point whatsoever despite them always being in _very close proximity_ from being dance partners for as long as they have?

To the Wilson's… Shane and Heather; especially once they got into high school, looked like they could have been quite a _good looking_ couple.

And practically the biggest point of confusion and also slap in the face to them was the two going to prom and also winning prom King and Queen together… and then just almost immediately parting separate ways thereafter.

But, they knew at certain points that they seemed to be _barking up the wrong tree_.

Especially since on _numerous_ occasions Heather's mother was told by her husband he even practically tried to almost _bribe_ Shane at certain points on _multiple_ different occasions whenever he had him as a caddy at the club to just get him to _attempt_ to date Heather but… nothing.

Though her and husband did love Heather in their own way… they were also fairly terrified of her at the same time and saw getting her boyfriend was the quickest way to get her out of the house since going to university was never something Heather saw in her _future plans_ , despite being always being a straight A student.

But, Shane really didn't have an _interest_ in Heather and vice versa.

Sure Prom was the last time Shane came over to their house when he came to pick up Heather and let them take pictures before they went to Prom.

But, she had to concede that Heather was not the _easiest_ person in general to understand or interact with when it came down to it… but somehow Shane and Heather never seemed to have a point where they _weren't_ interacting at some _capacity_.

Though most of their interactions were mostly _Junior League, dance,_ or _school_ related, it was still more than almost any other person before Alejandro seemed to accomplish when it came to their daughter.

Though now her and Heather's father seemed to still be holding onto hope for Alejandro, since they both were _very_ impressed and took quite a liking to him after his _initial visit…_ and because he was the only guy who got more than 2 dates out of their daughter and who their daughter exhibited an _attraction_ of any kind towards was something they found practically impressive and even oddly… _remarkable_.

But when it came to Shane… Heather's mother was still at a loss for what he was doing back after all this time?

She continued to ponder this as Shane continued to walk up the stairs until she finally made the initiative to just walk out and go on her way, but still looking in a state of almost deep thought as she got into her car.

Meanwhile upstairs, Heather was just laying on her bed and staring at the ceiling, a blank but _pensive_ yet frustrated expression on her face.

Well, until she kept looking at her high school yearbook sitting next to her. Which unsurprisingly wasn't even filled to even a _remote degree_ with signatures and/or notes from classmates.

Just like on _Total Drama,_ Heather created _A LOT_ of enemies within her grade in particular with the amount of people she either took revenge on or was just straight up mean to.

So… people weren't exactly _lining up_ to swap yearbooks with her on the last day of school.

Not that Heather entirely minded since she hated pretty much all of them anyway and would have probably just written passive aggressive and snide remarks if not just completely telling some individuals basically to ' _go fuck themselves_ ' in their yearbooks anyway.

Well, except _one_ … even if she did initiate the _transaction_ with said individual.

Heather slowly reached for her yearbook and looked at the back signatures pages. All of them blank except for one particular message:

* * *

_Heather,_

_I know you probably don't care and you'd just call me a sap or deny it or something. But, thanks for always giving me the push I needed. Hope you end up getting everything you want. Good luck on the show!_

_Your friend,_

_Shane_

* * *

" _Friend…_ " Heather said to herself, a complete look of pissed off, conflicted, and frustrated confusion crossing over her face before tossing her yearbook away.

She kept up her current state until she heard knocking on her door as she immediately shot out in response, "Whatever it is? _No._ "

Heather was thinking it was Damien since she was sure her mom was gone by now.

Until Heather's eyes went wide as her whole body tensed up as a familiar deep and calm voice said through the door, "Heather, it's me."

She was going to just stay silent, but she knew that was out since she already _made herself know_ to Shane with her _pissy remark._

"Just… go away!" She retorted, still looking and sounding conflicted and frustrated.

It was just yesterday afternoon that her and Shane _had it out_ and _..._ Heather wasn't sure how to _handle it._

Sure, Heather was _never_ a stranger to confrontation since her motto was always just _calling it like she sees it._ Sure even if what she had to say most of the time did nothing to help and most often just ended up offending whoever she was talking to… she never really cared typically.

But, this was a _whole_ different 'ball game' as far as Heather was concerned as her frustration started to mix with a feeling of _confliction_.

Shane was just standing at the door until he sighed and started, "Look Heather, can you just open the door… please?"

Even though Shane had no idea why he thought 'please' would even help his cause, particularly since this is Heather that he was dealing with.

After a few moments and much to his shock, Heather slowly opened her door. She just looked up slightly at Shane, a conflicted glare in her eye, as she crossed her arms and spat defensively, " _What?_ Come to call me a 'bitch' again?"

Shane looked down slightly, knowing _that_ was somehow going to come up. But, he was determined to stick with what he came to do as he said, looking back at Heather.

"No, I'm here to drink. I just figured not drinking alone would make it seem less pathetic. And… I figured you could use one too." Shane said, holding out the bottle of wine he was holding to her.

Heather gave him a skeptical look and then felt even more conflicted when she saw what it was.

_Fiume D'argento Moscato._

It was her favorite local winery's signature Moscato.

She kept looking at the bottle until Heather was quick to grab it out of his hand, looking over the bottle before saying, sounding _incredibly_ concise, " _Fine…_ Basement, 5 minutes."

Then before Shane could even do anything, Heather slammed her door shut, leaving Shane confused for several seconds before he just sighed and shrugged before heading down to the basement, rubbing the back of his neck.

At this point, Shane knew better than to question what Heather does.

_**6 minutes later** _

Shane and Heather were both sitting on the couch in the basement in almost painfully awkward silence as Heather proceeded to set a wine glass she brought down with her and proceeded to pour her already open bottle of wine into the glass for herself.

Shane quirked up an eyebrow and commented, "You know, you can just drink out of the bottle, right? That's yours."

Heather scoffed, still not looking at him and she proceeded to pour herself a glass, "Because I'm not a complete barbarian. _I_ have standards."

Right as she took a sip, Shane gave Heather a slight look about her 'standards' comment as he thought back to witnessing Heather licking Owen's armpit and also eating jelly out of Owen's belly button just to win a reality TV show and only _drew the line_ at shaving her head… but Shane knew better than to say anything in regards to that.

Instead, he just shrugged and said, cracking open a bottle of craft beer he brought for himself and took a drink directly from the bottle as he said, "Suit yourself."

All he saw was Heather roll her eyes and she took another sip out of her wine glass.

The painfully awkward silence consumed the room again as they both continued to drink until Shane decided to break the silence with something subtle but _complimentary_ , trying to get into Heather's _good graces_ but also genuinely meaning it, "Your hair's long again. It grew back in really well. Looks nice."

He was expecting Heather to just roll her eyes and scoff at him, but nothing prepared him for what happened next.

After a couple beats of silence, Heather clenched her free hand and said, "Good to see you followed the advice I gave you. Well, aside from whatever the hell _that_ is you grew out on your face, but… you look good."

Though passive aggressively, Shane knew that was Heather giving him her version of a compliment.

Shane smirked and rubbed the 5 O'clock shadow on his face as he said, "Yeah, I started to try this out when I started university… that and my girlfriend likes it."

Heather glanced over at Shane and quirked up an eyebrow as she questioned, "Girlfriend?"

Even though he had no idea if Heather really even fully cared, he grinned and pulled out his phone and turned on the screen to show him in a picture with a tall and pretty girl with dishwater blonde hair and brown eyes as his background, as he explained, "This is Aga."

Heather gave him a look with a quirked up eyebrow and started, "Um… _what?_ "

Shane let out a slight laugh before explaining, "Well, 'Aga' isn't _actually_ her name. She's Polish and her real name is actually 'Agnieszka' but she just goes by 'Aga', which she told me is the Polish variation of 'Agnes'. Her family moved to Canada from Poland when she was 3, but you wouldn't even guess by her accent. I met her at an open ballroom event my first year at university that ended up being at her parents dance studio in Toronto a few blocks from my apartment. I just went there mostly because I missed dancing and saw that they had an open ballroom event they did every Thursday. Long story short, they gave me a dance card when I walked in and Aga ended up taking all my dance slots except one after she saw me during the first dance and said how I was one of the best dancers to walk through in a while. Then we ended up talking while we were dancing, found out we were the same age, and we just... _clicked_. Then I asked her out at the end of the night and we've been going out since… she's great."

Shane grinned genuinely to himself still as he kept looking at the picture of them as the background on his phone until he heard Heather comment, "You're welcome."

He looked over and saw her smirking smuggly to herself, giving him a look out of the corner of her eye as she took another sip.

Shane grinned slightly back, knowing Heather was referring to her _pushing him_ to get _better_ back when they were dance partners, before commenting, "Well, you got me there."

The space went silent between them as they proceeded to both take a drink from their respective _beverages of choice_.

It was quiet until Shane said, attempting to start conversation, "So… what have you been doing since high school?"

Heather just took another sip and said in a very straightforward fashion, "Just trying to get my own show, but my agent ended up being a total _clot_ and kept screwing me over with her incompetence. So I _dumped her_ recently and am _trying_ to get a new one, but… _whatever_. Guessing you're still doing the whole _University shtick_?"

Shane took a drink from his bottle before replying, "Yup, still working toward my Bachelor's in Finance, but I'm planning on going to grad school for my Master's before I go to work for my dad. Considering I'm taking over his Financial Advisement company someday, I just want to get school out of the way all at once just so I can get on with my life."

"And you're seriously _fine_ with that? You actually _want_ to just stay in this painfully boring _suburbia crap_ your whole life?" Heather commented, slightly snarky with Shane's usual _complacency._

Shane shrugged and said, "You know Heather, not all of us _want_ to do _bigger, crazy things._ Some of us just want to live out here in a place like this _._ "

"And you're just _okay_ with that?" Heather remarked, still sounding snide.

Shane just shrugged before saying, sounding very honest, "Well, honestly yeah. I know you roll your eyes at me for staying stuff like this, but I'm _not_ you, Heather… and you know that. I know to you think I'm boring. And maybe I am but so what? Yeah, I like going golfing with my dad, working on my car, wanting a normal 9 to 5 job so I can have a normal life doing stuff I like in my free time. Get a house, career, marriage, kids... Sure maybe not all those things right now, but that's what I want to do with my life eventually."

"Not me." Heather responded plainly, taking quite a _sizeable_ drink from her wine glass before proceeding to refill her glass again and then downing yet another good amount.

As much as Heather wasn't saying anything but that in response, she knew she didn't need to say anything since what she was thinking at the moment wasn't anything Shane didn't already know.

Shane knew just as much if not more than anyone that what he just described was _NOT_ what Heather wanted to do with her life. Though still living at home with her parents in the painfully boring suburban life she grew up in… she'd practically rather die than remain in a life as _painfully boring_ as her parents, at least from her perspective.

To Heather… her _ambitions_ were greater and much bigger than anything anyone in her family or community ever achieved.

Sure she grew up in a very _privileged_ and _comfortable_ environment that her dad provided for her family as an old money trust fun kid as well as being a successful business executive, but to Heather it all seemed… _boring_ and definitely _not_ how she wanted to spend her life.

Because Heather didn't want to spend her whole life in a _painfully boring North American suburban hell_ … or at least that's how Heather saw the environment she grew up in.

It seemed like Shane was reading her mind at the moment as he stated matter of factly and knowingly, "Not all of us want to _conquer a whole continent_ like you, Heather."

Heather just rolled her eyes and scoffed before taking another sip from her glass and commenting, " _Whatever…"_

It was silent again for almost a full minute as they both simultaneously took a sip before finally Shane sighed and rubbed the back of his neck and started, "Okay Heather, I know it's totally obvious and I think you know why I _really_ came over, but… I'm sorry. I know you probably don't give a crap, but I didn't mean to _go off_ like that yesterday on you and I'm sorry about that, seriously."

" _But…_ " Heather cut in, getting her usual passive aggressive and defensive tone to her voice.

As much as Shane still looked hesitant about _going there_ … he knew he was already too far in to go back now as he said, putting his _brave face_ on, " _But,_ I meant everything I said to you. Just… seriously, _what_ Heather?"

Shane was giving Heather a very direct, confused, and frustrated look.

Heather; however, looked determined to not respond and she crossed her arms and looked off to the opposite corner of the room with an angry and frustrated expression on her face.

But, Shane seemed determined to do what he _actually_ came to do as he straighted up and turned himself more to face her as he started again, "Heather, I know you are used to fighting _everything_ with the lethality of a fucking rabid wolverine for as long as I've known you… but what is your deal with just admitting that you're into him already?"

Heather's whole demeanor tensed up, but she still refused to acknowledge anything he was saying.

Shane; however, hardened his expression as he stood up and elaborated in frustration, slowly getting more and more frustrated with her, "Just... Heather, _what_ is your _damn_ problem? I watched that entire stupid season with you and him and I have _never_ seen you act like that _ever_ about a guy until you met him. So... WHAT?! Because of your _fucking_ stubbornness with keeping everything locked down and not saying _anything_ to let him in at all like the wall that you've always been, _he_ dragged _me_ into your weirdass ' _thing'_ just to get _any_ information on you at all because he's STILL just as into you too and just wanted _anything_ to try and impress you! _Just…_ WHAT HEATHER?! What do you think is going to happen if you just admit you like the guy already?! The world isn't going to fucking end just because you admit you actually like him! SO WHAT IS IT HEATHER?! WHY DO YOU HAVE TO BE SO STUBBORN ALL THE TIME?!"

Finally Heather stood up and got right in Shane's face, making him take a step back as she spouted in rage and frustration, "BECAUSE I DON'T KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT THIS SHIT, SHANE?! THERE! ARE YOU HAPPY NOW, YOU ANNOYING JERK?!"

Shane put his hands up in front of him in slight defense as Heather gripped her hands in her hair as her whole demeanor just radiated rage, annoyance, and flustered frustration.

Heather let out a rough grunt she as kicked a basketball Damien left on the basement floor clear across the room before she exasperated, "This is all _his_ fault! I didn't ask for any of this crap! But, he just _had_ to always mess _with_ my head, _had_ to get _in_ my head, and then make it _fucking_ impossible for me to get him _out_ of my head! All I know is that I can't let him get to me ever, I _can't_."

"But, why _not_ Heather? What's the worst that could happen if you finally gave actually going out with a guy on more than just one date to mess with their heads a try? Especially since you and him are _so_ into each other that it even makes me want to just jump out my bedroom window out of annoyance for you guys!" Shane cut in, trying to stick to maintaining his position.

Heather, although still looking wound up and enraged as ever, gave Shane a _very_ direct look as she responded, "You want to know, Shane? _Fine_. Because all he does is make me feel _weak_. AND I CAN'T _FUCKING_ STAND IT?! Alejandro, he's just… UGH! He's literally become the complete bane of my existence! He just always has to be so _perfect_ constantly and know _exactly_ how to get to me. Then he tries all that _bullshit_ with getting me to date him that _you_ just _had_ to help him with before we just… UGH! FUCK!"

At that moment, Heather kicked the leg of the couch out of enraged frustration… and also hurting her foot a bit that even made Shane wince slightly.

But stubborn as ever, Heather didn't acknowledge it as she just said, probably saying more than she meant to if it wasn't for the _buzz_ from her two glasses of wine that were starting to make her take her usual iron clad guard down ever so slightly, "I just don't know what the hell is happening to me anymore? He just _had_ to get in my head even more after we slept together and told me he loved me and… ugh, _whatever!…_ "

Meanwhile, Shane was almost in a state of shock for a moment. As much as Shane thought that Heather telling him about her having sex with Alejandro was more than what he _really_ wanted to know about them, but… he also just couldn't believe it at the same time.

And honestly, as much as he still thought Alejandro was just as much of a twisted, manipulative, and full of himself snake as Heather; he just couldn't help but feel almost weirdly... _impressed?_

Though Shane knew Heather went out with _a lot_ of guys at their school, he dared not _ever_ even attempt to ask Heather about things in her _dating life_ out of fear she'd pound sand up his ass and then drill him a new one for even asking, he just couldn't help but be impressed that Alejandro actually seemed to _get anywhere_ and especially get to the point of _actually_ having sex with Heather, and her even _admitting it_.

Shane looked as if he would have thought more into that until he also caught _what else_ Heather just said that honestly made him go even more into a state of shock.

After the shock seemed to wear off slightly, Shane kept thinking about it as he also started thinking about all those times that Alejandro got _extremely defensive_ with him at any point he even remotely said anything to 'criticize Heather'.

Shane's eyes went wide as it seemed like everything completely _clicked_ in his head.

It was silent as Shane said, though still completely hesitant and also not believing he was talking to anyone and much less talking to Heather about this while he nervously rubbed the back of his neck in preparation, "Well… you know what? Never mind. I don't really need to know since this is totally for you and him to _work out_. And I know it's none of my business, but in my opinion you and him seriously got _a lot_ of shit you guys need to talk through. But… that's not even the point I'm trying to make. But, I'm just gonna say this. Heather, you are the _biggest_ opportunist I have ever met. You always know _exactly_ what you want and _exactly_ how to get it. And whether you admit it or not, I know you want him too. So, if you want him… why not just _go for it_ like you always do? I know you probably won't listen to me on this but just because you _feel_ something for him or even _anyone_ doesn't mean you're 'weak'. And hey, who knows? Maybe you and him could take over the world together like he said? But, that's up to you though."

Heather had her back turned with her arms crossed to Shane but unbeknownst to him, she looked like she was _processing_ behind her usual _cold veneer_.

She looked over her shoulder after she heard what sounded like a glass bottle being lifted off the coffee table.

Heather looked over her shoulder and tilted her head as she saw Shane just downing the remainder of his bottle before letting out a refreshed sigh and putting it back down.

"Anyway, I just got one more thing I want to do. You know, just in case I don't see you for another 3 and a half years." Shane started by taking out his phone and started walking toward the pool table as Heather's expression just contorted at him in annoyed confusion until her eyes went wide as she heard an all too familiar piano intro coming from his phone.

After Shane set his phone down, he smiled slightly and held his hand out to Heather as he started, putting one arm behind his back and did a slight bow as he held out his hand to her, "Remember our grade 10 American Viennese Waltz?"

After a few seconds, Heather smirked and rolled her eyes before commenting, "Do I?... _Duh._ "

Shane just continued to smile as Heather eventually took his hand before getting into position as they got into the right count from their routine that they haven't done since they were 16.

But, next to their tango, it was actually a _secret favorite_ between the two of them and also one of the most complicated routines they had ever done together with the amount of lifts they incorporated, and Shane remembering especially how much of a stickler Heather was with that routine in particular of making sure his lifts were fluid. That and Heather threatened him once that _if he dropped her on her head that she'd beat him over his_ , despite that never happening.

They both went through their routine as if it was practically complete flawless muscle memory to them, but with amount that Heather _insisted_ on them practicing their routines back in the day… they could've probably done their cha-cha from when they were 8 years old from memory as well if they had to.

Shane even caught it as they got into a closed position and kept up their count as he commented, a slight smile on his face, "This really takes us back, eh?"

Heather smirked slightly as she said, "Yeah, all that's missing is that grody-ass body spray you used to wear that always made me want to puke."

She got an immediate look of disgust and rolled her eyes as Shane responded, also rolling his eyes and letting out an annoyed sigh, "Heather, for the last time, I _only_ put that on because you complained I smelled gross after basketball practice when I came to practice at the country club with you and didn't have time to shower. Because I knew you'd hate it more if I took a shower and I was late."

Heather looked like she thought about for a second, looking like she knew Shane was right about everything he said, until she just rolled her eyes and scoffed out, " _Whatever…_ it was still gross."

Shane just smiled and let out a slight laugh as he said, "Hey, to be fair, I would've preferred to shower too. Just saying."

They kept going through their routine and continued to even dance past the song being over as a new song that they usual did warm up routines to back when they were in high school and ended up just doing a basic one step.

Eventually Shane said, "Don't know about you? But sometimes I miss us doing this at cotillion. With practicing and competing for the show case and everything."

Heather was looking over his shoulder in their close and closed first position as she commented through another scoff, "Hmph… You've always been a total sap."

Shane smiled slightly as he responded, "I'll just take that as a ' _missed you too'._ "

They kept dancing and Shane just kept looking ahead as Heather kept looking off to the side, and slowly and almost minimally… a smile actually tugged at the corner of her mouth slightly.

Though they kept going through their steps and Shane seemed to pause the _attempt at conversation_ for the time being, Heather seemed to slowly start to seem like she had a mass of chaotic and complicated thoughts being processed through her head at the moment as her eyebrows knit together in concentration.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I hope you enjoyed this more lowkey interaction between Heather and Shane, you know since their last one was just… Yikes. Lol. XD Sure things got a little heated here too… but it's also still Heather, so surprise right? Haha. But at the same time, I wanted to show Heather's soft-ish spot that she actually does have for Shane in her own way and also their dynamic. Also just Heather's deep down softer side that she does keep buried typically very deep down typically. With this interaction I hope I was able to show a good representation of Shane trying to get Heather to listen to him through things that he picked up from their past. Honestly, I could totally see Heather being the kind of high school student who would go to high school parties and also be the first person to break open the liquor cabinet at said parties to make things more interesting. And that was also how Shane knew Heather's taste in wine since he'd see what she'd usually go for during those situations. That and he knew that he and Heather drinking together would probably make her more likely to let her guard down even a little to let them talk more honestly than under more normal circumstances… that and Shane likes his beer as we've seen as well so he had an excuse to give him an opportunity to drink on a Friday night. At least he's honest and somehow got Heather to be slightly more honest with him. Haha. XD Ever since TDWT with finding out about Heather's softer side, specifically how Heather had a collection of glitter glue pens that she only admitted to having under lie detection… I just pictured Heather's softer side in the deepest corner of her brain being a very interesting place. Haha. But, I hope I did showing off that secret softer side of Heather's justice with my portrayal when it was just her alone with Shane. What will Heather do from here? Find out next time! Thanks again so much for reading and constructive feedback is always appreciated. Hope you all are continuing to stay healthy, safe, and well all!
> 
> Stay classy all!
> 
> Dexter1995


	19. Confrontation

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello again all! Thanks again for all the love and continued support to this fanfic. It still means SO much more to me than you all know. So… thank you. :) Anyway, this chapter begins a little over 2 weeks after Shane and Heather's little chat in Heather's parents basement. And let's just say that Heather had taken quite a few things to think about since then that she'd never admit to from Shane... But enough stringing this out! On with the story!

**({No POV})**

Heather was laying in her bed, still having a _very_ frustrated look to her but somehow her expression also seemed _pensive_ in a way.

It was nearing 5 am by this point but she had been awake for almost an hour with the chaotic mess of thoughts racing around her.

Almost as if her mind at this point was a table with hundreds of puzzle pieces scattered all over that she was slowly and carefully trying to put together.

Particularly Heather was fixated on a lot of the things Shane said a little over two weeks ago… and also some _interesting things_ he told her before he left from when he talked to Alejandro that had Heather _quite_ intrigued to say the least and she was _definitely_ going to hold onto for a _rainy day_.

Heather continued her thought process until she finally turned on her lamp and tossed off the covers before taking a seat in front of her laptop at her corner desk in her room.

At this point she was just figuring since sleep wasn't an option at this stage, might as well do something _constructive_?

"Okay Alejandro, you're not the only one with internet access to look things up and get dirt." She said to herself in a determined fashion as she got it going and pulled up her browser but kept looking at the blank search engine bar, trying to figure out where to start.

Though she always resisted in the past, with everything going on recently and the visit to the lake house after seeing that family picture… Heather couldn't help her _curiosity_ any longer and decided to do some _digging_ of her own on Alejandro.

For the past couple nights, she really did _a lot_ of heavy digging on Alejandro.

But, really… looking in on Alejandro's life was just a frustrating reminder to her about how _stupidly perfect_ he is at nearly _everything_.

She went in trying to see if she could find _any_ dirt on Alejandro only to just come across things like articles from him being a star high school athlete and also finding out he was Valedictorian of his high school graduating class that made Heather want to start ripping out her hair that took her _5 years_ just to grown it back.

Then further felt like she was getting frustratingly enraged when she saw that all those _insane_ competitions he said he won back in season 3 were _actually_ true, particularly once she saw an article with him winning a gold medal in a half pipe event at the 'South American Skate Olympics'.

But mostly… Heather just _could not_ believe that there wasn't _anything_ she could find on Alejandro that he wouldn't want her or _anyone_ to know about.

Then again, Heather also figured that he could also just be really good at hiding it if there was _anything_ at all… considering that she spent her entire first year of high school getting rid of and/or destroying all _visual_ related traces of herself from when she was in junior high.

With the only thing remaining being her school pictures that she kept _locked away_.

She was really close to just burning them in their outdoor stone fireplace before she started her first season on _Total Drama_ just to completely erase that part of her life entirely… until her mom _somehow_ managed to convince her otherwise to still hold onto them.

She shook her head and decided to go to a different _route of curiosity_ this time.

Eventually she started with the obvious and typed 'Burromuerto' in the search bar, only to immediately roll her eyes in frustrated annoyance at Alejandro showing up as the first result.

"Of course he's the top result… _figures_." Heather scoffed in annoyance.

Until she looked below at the next top result and saw a name that made her recall something from a past memory on the show after the fact:

* * *

_Carlos Burromuerto (Professional soccer player)_

* * *

She quirked up an eyebrow as she clicked on his name and saw someone all too familiar.

Heather knew Alejandro had 2 older brothers and only saw them just recently in the family portrait she saw at the lake house. She remembered seeing his brothers on either side of him in the portrait from how she recalled it, but she was just unsure which one was Carlos and which one was José?

Particularly she was more curious about José since he and Alejandro seemed to have _something_ going on.

Then again Heather wasn't exactly _besties_ with any of her siblings at all either… _far from it_ , so she could relate to that.

Right when Carlos's search results came up, Heather's eyes went wide at who she was seeing when she pulled up his images.

"You have literally got to be _fucking_ kidding me right now..." Heather said to herself in annoyed disbelief, looking like she wanted to rip off her face at the moment.

Though Alejandro and both his brothers were all so _frustratingly_ good looking in Heather's opinion, at least from the picture she saw that she now realized was older and most likely was taken from when Alejandro and his brothers must have been in their mid to late teens since Carlos looked slightly more _mature_ in the pictures she was looking at now.

Mostly that Carlos in more recent pictures really was a _very_ attractive man.

He was tall, tan, classically yet somehow also _ruggedly_ handsome, and _very_ 'physically fit'. But, considering he's a professional athlete… Heather was not surprised at all.

Although, Carlos and Alejandro seemed to share quite a few similar facial features between them to make them _really_ look like brothers.

The only noticeable differences were their eye color and hair pretty much.

Carlos had dark green eyes and short light brown wavy hair cut into a cesar cut style.

And though most of his pictures seemed to be overwhelmingly of him playing soccer for his team in Spain, there were a couple pictures of Carlos doing some _promotional modeling_ for anything from athletic gear to swimwear to men's formal attire for European based companies.

But, judging by how _good looking_ he was… that was also _no small wonder_ why to Heather.

Heather did a little more diving through links until she found almost a bio of sorts for him on some athletics site and saw Carlos was 26 and was also a bit surprised to see he was actually married and just got married relatively recently back in late spring.

Not that Heather cared or was necessarily even _interested_ in Carlos in _that way_ and really only had an _attraction_ toward Alejandro since he was more her _type_ if she even had one.

Though she would _never_ flat out admit that, but she was just trying to comprehend what sort of woman would be married to Carlos? But, there was hardly any information other than he had a wife.

Otherwise Carlos's _personal life_ seemed to hardly be covered on the page, much like Alejandro.

Well until she looked down and saw other _connections_ where she saw Alejandro and even José listed.

Curiously, Heather drifted her cursor down and clicked on _José Burromuerto_. A new profile came up that directed her to a different site to a boxing gym in Ottawa as well as a picture of José. He was wearing his boxing ring gear, holding his headgear under his left arm, and also had a championship belt around his waist, displaying him being the gym's middleweight boxing champion as well as his name underneath the picture.

However, Heather still kind of had a look of 'go figure' since she deduced who José was already _immediately_ by just the obvious 'process of elimination'... and _looks._ Chiseled jawline, dark green eyes, gelled up light brown hair.

Heather rolled her eyes and scoffed at that _final detail_ about José.

She commented snidely to herself with a slight eye roll, " _Ugh_ , is this guy serious? The 90's called; they want their _gross overuse_ of hair gel back."

Although José was the only one of the brothers who seemed to take on more _facial traits_ from their mother rather than their father, at least the _male variants_ of said traits, it didn't mean he was in _any way_ less 'attractive' than either Carlos or Alejandro, quite the contrary.

And though Heather couldn't _fathom it_ personally at first, José had possibly the _cockiest_ grin she had ever seen and considering her knowledge of Alejandro's _mannerisms_ and _personality_ … that was _really_ saying something coming from her.

But she still had to concede _much_ to her growing annoyed frustration that José was still just as much on the same insane level of _peak male attractiveness_ as Carlos and Alejandro were.

Heather groaned in annoyance as she said in frustration to herself, " _Seriously?!_ What the hell even is this stupidly perfect _pod-person_ family?!... _Wait…_ "

Heather paused as she dissected the tabs from her browser, even pulling up a picture of Alejandro, as she put all 3 pictures she had side by side… Heather noticed something _interesting_.

Ever since Heather first saw Alejandro, one of the things she always noticed about him was how he _always_ wore the same sterling silver longhorn pendant necklace around his neck. It didn't matter how dressed up or _down_ he was, as she noticed _recently_ , he always wore it and never _ever_ took it off.

At first Heather thought nothing of it other than it being a _fashion preference_ or _superstition item_ for him until she noticed all three of the brothers wearing the _exact_ same necklace in their respective pictures. Also, Heather could have sworn that even both of Alejandro's parents were also wearing the same _exact_ necklace as well from the portrait she saw at the lake house.

Practically making her wonder if there was a _significance_ to it? Almost making Heather wonder if it was possibly a 'Family Crest' or symbol of some kind?

She decided to not dwell on it too much as she started to close out of each of the tabs.

But paused briefly over the 'x' on the tab with Alejandro's, looking like she was almost getting sucked in by his eyes for a moment before clicking off while scrunching her eyes shut.

" _Dammit Heather_ , get a grip!..." She scolded herself, looking like she was trying and failing to suppress a _struggle_ she's been frustratingly fighting internally for the past month… and _secretly_ even longer than that, as much as she absolutely _detested_ to admit that even to herself.

Heather just shook her head and decided to _finally_ just 'rip off the band aid' and focus on the _task at hand_ that she _really_ set for herself the moment she got up and kept searching for almost a half hour until she found what she was looking for.

Grabbing a pen and notepad that usually just collects dust on her desk, she diligently jotted the information she found down and ripped out the page before shoving it into her purse before grabbing a suitcase out of her closet and started packing in anything she thought may be needed, as well as picking out something to wear for the day.

It was a Saturday morning and she knew her parents or Damien would not be up for at least another 2 hours.

She was quick to grab her make up bag to take to the bathroom as she proceeded to get started with her typical morning routine.

_**1 hour and 30 minutes later** _

Heather was putting on her usual knee high leather fashion boots she usually wore in fall and winter by the front door before grabbing her winter car coat by the back door and then grabbed her suitcase and purse, looking like she was about to set off on her _mission_ of sorts.

Her hand secured itself around the door handle until she heard, "Oh, I didn't know you had to be up early? Are you going to Toronto again for a pitch?"

Heather knew it was her mom as she responded shortly, "No, I'm going to the Ottawa area. I'll be back, just don't know when."

Heather's mother gave her a curious look as she processed what she just heard. Mainly wondering why her daughter was up this early or why she seemed to be going up to Ottawa unprompted?

She knew she wasn't going up there to visit her sister Kelsey, considering her and Kelsey _disliked_ each other to put it simply. Not quite as much as Heather and Damien despised each other, but let's just say you'd never see these two going shopping or getting pedicures together.

Then again, Heather's mother also had to concede that none of her and her husband's five children were really all that _close_ to any extent anyway.

Well, perhaps Kelsey and their oldest daughter Megan were on fairly _decent terms_.

Then Damien and their oldest child and son CJ (Craig Vincent Wilson III) weren't all that close due to their _wide_ age gap and a variety of _other things_ like interests and personalities.

Then again, if it isn't basketball or videogames then Damien isn't really interested in almost anything else.

But, Heather's mother didn't understand why Heather would possibly be driving several hours up to Ottawa or why she was up and ready this early on a Saturday?

Sure Heather has always been a _dark horse_ to put it simply, but considering the only person she really knew in Ottawa family wise was just Kelsey then…

All of a sudden a slightly hopeful _realization_ hit her as she fought every urge she had to show any absolutely joyful satisfaction she was feeling over a _particular young man_ they found out recently who lived up there.

But, her thoughts were interrupted by Heather just taking off out the door and then shutting it promptly behind her, leaving her in a confused yet also now still _hopeful_ expression.

Sure she still didn't understand _anything_ at all when it comes to whatever was going on between Heather and Alejandro… but she wasn't about to question her daughter _actively_ trying to seek out a guy on her own accord for the first time as far as she knew.

At this point, she could only _hope_ as far as she was concerned.

_**5 hours later** _

**(Heather POV)**

Well… that drive sucked.

There was traffic over some idiotic construction that ended up just being some moron welding on a bridge, a deer almost ran me off the road, and then my tire pressure light went off because of the cold so I had to pull off to get my tires filled…

Seriously, I was just waiting for a kid chasing a ball running into the street and then my insane-ass _driver's ed video_ -esque trip would've been complete!

The road signals all sucked, I've been driving for 5 fucking hours, and now I FINALLY managed to get in after I showed that dilweed baseball cap wearing _guard_ at the front of the subdivision the long horn charm clasp on my bracelet just to see if that would even work… and that doofus just let me in almost no questions asked.

_Sucker._

And I finally got into the Burromuerto's driveway and it was kind of 'no duh' since it was the only house with both a Canadian and Spanish flag flying on either side of their driveway.

But honestly… I was a bit surprised.

Sure my parents house is actually pretty sizable but… their house here wasn't too far off. In fact it looked like a _very_ similar layout. Not quite a _faux pas_ Mcmansion, but also not a really a _standard_ single family home either.

Spacious, multiple bedrooms and bathrooms, and from the looks of it a basement.

Yeah, I always knew Alejandro and I came from very _similar backgrounds_ , because _of course_ we always have to have so much in common that it drives me literally insane… but, I guess I was just imagining _more?_

Sure the Burromuerto's probably owned _many_ properties between here and Europe if Alejandro's _comment_ of his family owning multiple houses back that the lake house meant anything.

And as much as I was frustrated to admit it… the house was gorgeous.

Brick with Ivy growing on one of sides, pristine landscaping, amazing neighborhood location between the city and suburbs… ugh, _please_ tell me this family has some secret reject relative they keep locked up somewhere?

SERIOUSLY?! NO ONE can be _this_ perfect.

_But, that's part of the reason why I'm doing this._

I got out of the car and took off my coat before just throwing it in the backseat of my car. I clenched my fists and let out a rough sigh before saying to myself, "You got this, Heather…"

I slowly walking up the steps and scrunched my eyes shut as I rang the doorbell, not understanding why I felt like I was feeling like my throat was swelling shut as my heart pounded slow yet hard against my chest.

Well, until I got annoyed when no one answered and I pressed the doorbell again only to feel like I was _this close_ to losing it when I heard steps coming toward me from inside.

 _Ugh, please let it_ not _be him. ANYONE but him. His parents, one of his equally yet stupidly gorgeous brothers… WHATEVER?! Just anyone but…_

_Oh, crap... SERIOUSLY?!_

I felt like everything in my entire being came to a screeching halt before turning into a colossal internal train wreck. Standing there in a long sleeve button down maroon shirt and his usual pants and designer belt… was _him._

Alejandro visibly froze up too as his green eyes immediately went wide like mine as we just… _stared._ It was dead silent for several moments as I felt like I just wanted someone to literally kill me already.

He slowly relaxed until he crossed his arms, titled his head, and narrowed his eyes at me before saying, sounding _very_ passive aggressive, "May I _help_ you?"

 _Well, no turning back now._ This _is happening._

_Dammit..._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And we have now gone full circle! Next chapter is the Aleheather 'hash out'. How 'will they end it'? Stay tuned for next time! So sorry to be a total dork and incorporate a reference to "This Is How We Will End It", but it's probably my favorite song from TDWT. At 25 years old… no shame! Lol. In all seriousness though, I am sorry if I just keep leaving you guys hanging, but I just wanted to create a good and proper build up. Mostly I wanted to really show Heather almost 'working herself up' to eventually deciding to face Alejandro again on her own accord and in her own way… especially by trying to find ANY dirt on him at all in trying to get a better understanding of him only to be frustrated by finding nothing but 'glittering gold' from his past accomplishments. But… is Alejandro really that perfect like Heather keeps assuming? Also, I really wanted to get into trying to get an introduction to Alejandro's oldest brother Carlos. And I hope you guys liked my portrayal of Carlos being this superstar athlete as well as a model in Europe. But, considering a lot of professional athletes do that kind of thing in reality and Alejandro's family practically being this family of physically perfect pod-people in Heather's frustrated eyes… I thought this seemed fitting. And let's also just say that Carlos isn't all that he appears to be. I also hoped you enjoyed a brief introduction to Heather's siblings. Ever since TDA when Heather said she had multiple brothers and sisters… I had to say I was VERY 'intrigued'. We see what Heather's like, we've seen her parents, and we even got a slight description of Damien, but I always wondered what sort of people her other siblings were like? Again, more on all this in time. Looks like there's a lot of explaining to do on all fronts. Sorry again for the cliffhanger but I still hope this chapter helped make your day a bit lighter. :) Anyway, thanks so much for reading and constructive feedback is always very much appreciated!
> 
> Stay classy, healthy, and safe!
> 
> Dexter1995


	20. Cessation (The End?)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, first off, to those of you PMing me and asking me if I died or wasn't feeling well because I haven't gotten around to posting at my usual times for this fanfic… I am fine! But thanks for asking! Haha. XD Due to pressure changes from the weather shifting from summer to fall, I have been getting my usual sinus headaches that make me unable to look at screens comfortably for very long, which sucks. Seriously, the fact that I couldn't do my usual creative writing typing in my free time was really pissing me off, I'll tell you that much. But I am so happy to be back! Anyway, the chapter you have all been waiting for! What will happen between Alejandro and Heather? Read on to find out! Hope you enjoy it!
> 
> *IMPORTANT*: Please stay tuned and read the ending A/N for a very special announcement! ;)

**(Heather's POV)**

" _Look_ … I'm here to talk." I managed to get out directly, even though I felt like I was having someone twist a rusty knife into my back.

It was so painfully and awkwardly silent that you'd probably need to cut through it with a machete at this point.

All he kept doing was look at me and although a _look_ remained in his eyes, he slowly uncrossed his arms after a long pause. He stepped aside before motioning inside and slowly nodding his head to me to come in.

Slowly, not breaking eye contact for a second, I walked in while still seeing _something_ coming through from his eyes that made my stomach tense up even more.

Eventually I walked in as he shut the door behind us, and my eyes immediately went wide.

Again, as much as I was frustrated to admit this, but… the interior was just as gorgeous as the outside.

While the outside definitely seemed more _North American suburban_ , the inside was decorated and constructed in more of a Mediterranean style that would be seen in parts of Southern Europe. A lot of earth tones in the coloring of the décor, ornate wrought-iron light fixtures, rough plaster walls with various framed pictures and paintings hung up… it all looked seamless.

_Ugh… of course it does._

"I'll be back." I heard him say as he walked past me and immediately disappeared through an archway into _somewhere,_ not looking back at me.

I tried to ignore it though, and honestly feeling a huge wave of relief from just be alone for a second to get a grip and collect myself… and for _something else_.

After him practically doing a _full scale investigation_ on me with finding my address, schmoozing my parents, and tracking down Shane to try and get _dirt_ on me; I felt _more_ than ever to be entitled to some _snooping_ of my own on Alejandro.

And with the internet doing nothing but piss me off and giving me _nothing_ except show me more than ever how stupidly _perfect_ he and his equally yet annoyingly gorgeous brothers are, I decided to take a more _direct approach_.

But then again, there's _a lot_ someone can hide from even the internet with the right _disclosure_ , or lack thereof.

 _I_ know that more than anyone by erasing _part of my existence_ off the internet.

There's just got to be _something_ … ANYTHING he wouldn't want me to know about him or his family.

I took the time to observe my surroundings until something caught my eye. A large wall at the end of the main foyer that seemed to be covered completely in both individual and group pictures of the Burromuerto's.

_Oh, now THIS is what I'm talking about._

There has to be something here.

I started my _investigation_ on the wall and saw what appeared to be several pictures in a row of what looked like various school pictures of Alejandro and his brothers.

 _Okay, there's got to be_ something _here._

I couldn't find much _visual evidence_ of what Alejandro looked like before high school on the internet and as much as I absolutely want to just _despise_ admitting it, maybe he was a total trainwreck in junior high when it came to the _looks department_ like I used to be.

_Oh… YES! That has to be it!_

Again as much as it drives me to the brink of insanity to admit that we have one more stupid thing in common, I hope he was a pizza-faced and braced up little dweeb with… My thought process as well as every muscle in my body locked up at what I was seeing that made me want to have a freaking aneurysm.

It wasn't a school picture, but it was one of what appeared to be Alejandro with his brothers on a beach front when he was about 11 or 12 since José and Carlos _definitely_ looked like they had to have been in grade 8 or high school by that point.

_You have got to… UGH! SON OF A BITCH! ARE YOU KIDDING ME RIGHT NOW?!_

Even though his hair wasn't long like I'm used to seeing it and instead cut into a shorter side parted low fade haircut, it was _definitely_ Alejandro from when he was a kid.

_Ugh… of course that jerk had to be cute._

And all the other pictures I saw didn't seem to help my hopes of him looking like a total reject at any point in his life either. About the only thing that looked different about him whether he was 6 or 21 was his hair, considering he had short hair until he got to high school.

Even then, I thought he looked better with his hair grown out longer honestly… as much as I _despise_ saying anything to his benefit.

Otherwise, he was always 'cute' at a bare minimum.

_Dammit._

I decided to look away to avoid giving myself a friggin' coronary as I kept scanning over the pictures, still trying to at least find _something_ and just because of my own _curiosity,_ until I saw something that made me do a double take.

At first I thought I was looking at a picture of Alejandro dancing in a competition with some girl when he was about 18, until I realized some _key details_. The hair was too short and the color was several shades too light for it to be Alejandro's medium brown hair… not to mention the guy was also completely clean shaven in the picture and the picture itself looked slightly _dated_.

It took a second until my mind finally _connected the dots._

These were his parents when they were younger... _a lot_ younger.

Sure I'd only seen one other picture of his parents and his dad had a cleaned up anchor goatee now plus his hair was graying a bit, but this was _definitely_ a picture of his parents in their late teens from when they probably used to dance competitively together.

As much as I felt completely intrigued yet totally confused by all this crap… I couldn't deny that Alejandro _definitely_ got his _looks_ from his dad.

Seriously, except for the difference in hair length and Alejandro having his mom's medium brown hair… he and his dad might as well have been freaking carbon copies of each other.

The resemblance was practically so _uncanny_ that it almost freaked me out for a second… _almost_.

Either way, my 'frustrated _fascination_ ' with this stupidly perfect family of fucking pod-people continues to make me want to lose every shit that I have, or have left to be more accurate, at this point.

But… dammit, even his parents _still_ look like some kind of gorgeous _power couple_ presentation wise _._

Sure, not that my parents or really anyone in my family are really _that_ hideous _,_ well at least not _anymore…_ but the Burromuerto's were probably the most 'good looking' family I even remotely knew personally. As much as it makes me want to scream and throw a chair out a window or something, this family really is so physically perfect looking that even to me it's hopeless not to even _remotely_ admit it at all even to myself.

I finally got to a slightly larger picture on the wall of what was clearly Alejandro's parent's on their wedding day.

Both of them in an affectionate yet appropriate embrace for a wedding photo but looked nothing short of the definition of class and… _elegance_.

"See you've found _something of interest_?" I looked behind me, only to feel like I was going to have a heart attack when I saw him standing right behind me.

Despite the weird and awkward attempt at _small talk_ with our level of awkward and intense tension probably being able to be seen from space… I decided to keep going along with it, mainly to try and get my crap together for whatever the hell I'm trying to do here.

I shrugged and said, "Couldn't help notice the _resemblance_ mainly."

He wasn't looking at me though as he kept looking at the picture before he elaborated, "My father and I have always shared a strong _resemblance_. My mother has always told me nearly every day how similar we are, which isn't wrong. And not just from our _appearance_. You could say that I'm _my father's son_."

I didn't really know what else to say from here as I felt all that _tension_ start to creep up again and make me feel like I almost wanted to puke.

I decided to remain nonchalant as I commented, "They look young."

_Really Heather? That's seriously 'the best' you could come up with? What's next? Talking about the weather?_

But, then again and for once in my life… I have no idea what the hell I'm even really trying to do right now? Especially considering the amount of _normal conversations_ Alejandro and I have ever had are nearly slim to none so I have literally no idea what I'm doing… but I am _not_ going to tell him that.

_Ugh… why is this 'feelings-talking' crap so damn hard?!_

I was pulled out of whatever the hell was going on in my head as I heard him respond, "They were. Specifically they were 22 when they married. Though like I mentioned prior, they had known each other since they were 17 when they met at a dance class. They'll be married 35 years this coming February."

My eyes went wide a little at what he just said as my thoughts and gut kept continuing to contort.

Especially considering my parents are also _very_ similar to that situation, mainly since my parents are also going to be married 35 years in January.

Sure my dad was originally _coerced_ when my parents were in high school to date my mom by my grandpa Wilson and show her a _good time_ in exchange for a new car of his choice just because my grandpa Lim was a business associate he was trying to _win over_ through my mom _..._ even though my mom totally _saw through it_ but just didn't care and was just treating it as an 'all expenses paid' night out practically.

But then they _somehow_ ended up continuing to date each other despite that.

Even though I have no idea why my mom dated or even married a total doofus like my dad.

Then again my dad wasn't _that_ bad looking back in the day and also came from _major_ old money despite how damn cheap he is on any given day except on me and my siblings' birthdays, impressing clients, or just getting anything my mom wants when she asks for it.

Not to mention my parents also got married in their early 20's too.

_Dammit… Ugh! Even our freaking parents have to be similar?! Can we PLEASE just not have 'something' in common already?!_

It wasn't until now that I noticed the _real_ silence consuming the house. Sure it's a pretty big house, but I even I thought it was cryptically silent.

"Is… _anyone else_ here?" I asked, glancing out of the corner of my eye at him, feeling _tense_.

He hardly moved a muscle as he kept standing there and looking at his parent's wedding picture as he answered blindly, "No, just me. My parents left for Spain a few hours ago and José is out for an extended _bachelor party trip_ for one of his… _friends._ So, I have the house to myself for the week."

_Dammit…_

I didn't know whether to be relieved or freaked out about us being _alone_ , considering what happened _last time._

Eventually I heard him say in a guarded tone, motioning to this side room off the hall, "Well, there's tea in the dining room for us. If you'd like?"

Even though I felt like I had cement practically hardening in my stomach, I managed to maintain a level head as I just nodded and followed him into this equally gorgeous dining room with a beautiful rosewood dining set.

My right hand was about to reach for a chair until I immediately retracted my hand when I saw him _actually_ pull out the chair for me.

I looked up to see him looking at me, an unreadable expression on his face, as he nodded his head to me to sit. Since I had no idea what else to do, I just nodded back and tried to look away from him for the sake of my sanity as I sat down and felt him push my chair in slightly.

_Of course, he's still perfectly chivalrous with me… ugh, dammit._

He pulled out a chair for himself adjacent to me at the table and sat down, folding his hands on the table.

It was so painfully quiet that the only thing that could be heard was this antique grandfather clock in the corner of the room.

But before I could do anything, I saw Alejandro set a cup and saucer in front of both of us as he poured me a cup before pouring his, and the smell was almost unmistakeable.

_Green tea._

Every morning whenever we'd be in the 'loser class' dining hall on the plane, we would _always_ run into each other by the beverage table when we'd go for the beverage carafe that had green tea for breakfast and he'd _always_ have to make an _annoyingly flirty remark_ every time we'd run into each other.

Anyway, I always have a cup of green tea every morning at breakfast and apparently so did he.

_Again… Why do we have to have so much crap in common?!_

But… ugh, no, I can't do any of that. I just have to bite the bullet and get a damn grip as much as my _subconscious_ says otherwise.

So, I nodded to him as we both took a sip from our cups respectively.

It was still dead and awkwardly quiet as the grandfather clock kept up that ominous 'ticking' metronome, making me feel like I was going to flip out and lose it like that guy from that Edgar Allan Poe poem I remembered from a high school English class.

" _So…_ " I heard him say, feeling his eyes practically burning into me.

But, I was still trying to figure out what the hell I was even doing as I just snapped, " _What?_ "

Even though, _I_ even thought that response what idiotic for what was going down.

_Ugh… what the hell am I even doing?!_

I drove all the way up to Ottawa to do _whatever the hell this is_ and am making a total ass of myself right now!

_Shit…_

Then to make it even worse, I saw him resettle in his chair out of the corner of my eye as I heard him say, "Heather, though I know you are _quite_ an intelligent woman… You are _aware_ of what 'talking' entails, do you not? Actually _communicating_ words in a way that makes sense and can be heard?"

I dug my nails into the table slightly before responding shortly, knowing I was sounding as frustrated as I looked and felt after _that_ , "Yes, _Alejandro_ … I know."

" _Then_ what, Heather? You clearly came here to do _something_ , but all you seem to keep doing is just snap at and brush me off like you _always_ do." He snapped, his voice having that same almost _passive-aggressive venom_ it had at the door.

_Oh, that's IT!_

I completely snapped as I stood up and slammed my hands down on the table, causing the cups and tea set to rattle.

My eyes felt like they had fire behind them as I directed right at him, "OH, _RIGHT_?! Because everything _I_ do always gets turned into being about _you._ It's always about you, _you,_ YOU, isn't it?! _Your_ pride, _your_ ego, and _your_ FUCKING feelings! Just because of that time I wouldn't let you get any damn _face time_ with me in first class EVERYTHING is always my DAMN fault to you, isn't it?! What about ME, HUH?! Because of your _fucking_ ego, you made Sierra practically gun for me like the psychotic, hose beast fangirl that she is and then _you_ had the fucking GAUL to blame ME for voting you out like a hypocritical jerk even though you were going to have ME voted off behind my back from the start! AND you were going to ditch me in that fucking pit in Drumheller!"

He stood up and slammed his hands on the table too as he grit his teeth and narrowed his eyes at me before retorting, "Pardon?! You're calling _me_ a hypocrite?! You've thrown _more_ than your share of 'stones at glass houses' than you'd _ever_ admit, Heather. And you know it! The moment _anything_ throws you off in _any_ way that you don't like, you immediately retaliate and stomp it down until it has no chance of survival! First class, Drumheller, Hawaii, the lake house… _YOU_ took all those instances WAY out of proportion all just to save _your_ face and keep lying to yourself like the stubborn bruja you are when it comes to us!"

"SHUT UP! UGH! You are always such an annoyingly stubborn jerk!" I snapped in annoyed and frustrated rage, feeling like a blood vessel was going to explode in my head.

"Look who's talking, Heather?! First class aside, I told you I loved you on the volcano and _you_ treated _my_ love like _nothing_ before putting me through mental torment for THREE YEARS! Because of your stubborn denial and inability to stop, you always shove me away and push me to my limits despite the fact that I know you love me too!" He spat back in absolute rage.

I felt like my head was getting consumed in a ring of hellfire as I retaliated, "OH! RIGHT?! Because nothing says ' _love_ ' like you completely screwing me over this past season and then tricking me into going out with you repeatedly! WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU?!"

"YOU! YOU are 'what's wrong' with ME!" He paused and ran a hand through his hair to collect himself with a vexed look on his face before continuing, "Looking back, _yes_ , I shouldn't have deceived you on both accounts and I regret that now. But, YOU don't make things any better or easier on us! You _never do!_ "

" _And_ here we go again with you blaming _me_ for what happened! Ugh!" I spouted, feeling like my entire mind was spiraling out of control.

"OH! You want to go there now?! _Fine_ Heather… WHAT WAS THAT ON THE VOLCANO THEN?! Do you have _any_ idea what I went through?! The _pain_ and the _torment_ I went through after the finale _?!_ WHAT HEATHER?! WHY WON'T YOU?!..."

" _ **SHUT UP!**_ I'M SORRY! OKAY?!" I practically screamed in pure annoyed and frustrated rage, feeling like I was going to explode.

At first I couldn't believe what came out of my mouth as every muscle in my body was contracting to the nth degree. My shoulders locked up as my breathing became almost ragged at this point. Apparently Alejandro was there too since he went silent and was looking at me wide eyed.

_Well… no turning back now._

I scrunched my eyes shut as I pounded my right fist on the table before saying, " _Look,_ at the time… Oh, screw it! Okay, look, maybe I shouldn't have _done all that_ on the volcano…" He interrupted me with a scoff and an annoyed eye roll as he remarked, " _Maybe?_ "

"HEY! I'm talking! So zip it and let me finish, you prick!" I demanded in blind fury, making him go wide eyed.

Even though this felt like something that was completely out of my usual _wheelhouse_ and did nothing but make me want to jump out a window in frustration, I tried to keep my usual wits about me and dig in my heels to continue.

I looked him directly in the eye as I started, still feeling pissed off and confused as all get out, "Did you seriously think _I_ saw 'nothing'? I couldn't walk through any check out line or watch any stupid celebrity gossip show without seeing your _damn face_ driving me completely _insane_! But, don't make this all about _me!_ Like _you_ didn't drive me to do that. The whole way up that _damn_ volcano, you just kept teasing and picking at me before making a total fool out of me in front of literally everyone with your _love professing_ bullcrap!"

"But _that_ constitutes shoving me off a volcano?! Did you not see where I was when you all ran?! _You_ even ran past me before it happened and didn't even bother to look back!" He shot back as I immediately got right in his face and gripped his shirt collar as I spat in frustration through my teeth, "And how the hell was I supposed to _fucking_ know about _anything_ that was gonna happen to you, huh?! Do you seriously think I never saw that coverage of you leaving the hospital and making _me_ feel like shit over it?! Cuz guess what?! _Despite_ , what _you_ and _everyone else_ think about me, _I_ have _fucking_ 'feelings' too, OKAY?! And you know what else, Alejandro? _I_ felt _awful_. There! Are you fucking happy now?!"

It was dead silent between us for what seemed like an eternity before I looked down and saw his hand resting over mine on the table before closing his fingers around it. It wasn't anything _harsh_ or _rough_ … actually it was gentle, but still somehow _firm_.

I was in a near state of shock as I froze before I felt like my eyes were going to fall out of my head when I heard, "Heather...I'm sorry too. _Truly_."

At that moment, I whipped my head up to look at him only to see his eyes focused right on me and practically keeping me locked there. I felt like I practically had lock jaw as my heart kept pounding painfully slow yet forcefully against my chest. Then I further felt caught off guard when I saw Alejandro take his other hand to lift my left hand that he was already holding until he was holding my hand in both of his.

Even though it was something I both hated and secretly liked when he'd do this and would usually retract my hand to maintain my self-control, it was like I felt incapable of doing almost anything.

I couldn't move, I couldn't speak… UGH! I couldn't do ANYTHING!

All I could do was just stare at him

. But, then all I kept doing was getting more and more confused about _this_ as I saw Alejandro let out a sigh as he looked down, scrunching his eyes shut for a moment.

_Wait… is he actually looking… nervous?_

But then he looked right back up at me as he said, his tone back to his usual calm and smooth demeanor but also almost sounding actually… _sincere?,_ "Heather, whether you choose to believe me or not, I am truly and sincerely sorry for how everything happened between us and 'what I did' at the finale as well. I didn't realize it until I was halfway through my recovery after a _revelation_ of sorts, but you were right. I was just as much the _author of my own misfortunes_ as you… if not even more on my end. I left that prize dangling in front of you and practically mocked and teased you while it hung in the balance like a complete and total _fool._ It's like you always said to me, ' _I would have done the same'_. And… you are correct. And I'll even admit that to an extent on all accounts prior. You and I are both _quite_ equally competitive and as a worthy adversary I should have seen that coming from you for my tactlessness in that moment. Particularly since I _should have known_ as someone who had been in your _position_ before on _many_ different occasions with a _particular individual…_ But that doesn't matter. Point is, I am aware now that there were _other things_ that could have been done in that moment. And for that… I apologize. But, on the same token... why _did_ you do _that_ to me? You had other _options_ as well, did you not? _Why_ did you feel the need to shove me off that volcano?"

My throat felt like it was swelling shut and my teeth were clenched so tight to the point of feeling like they were going to shatter.

" _Heather?..._ " He pressed, feeling his eyes burning into me without even needing to look.

But, my entire being was resisting me.

I kept avoiding his questioning until I heard him spout, sounding _completely_ frustrated, " _DÍOS MIO!_ You always do this! ALWAYS! Do I seriously mean _that_ little to you that you can't even answer me when it comes to!..." "SHUT UP!" I practically yelled in his face.

If I hadn't completely cracked already… I totally cracked now.

I could feel daggers flying out of my eyes as I continued to grit my teeth and practically spat, my thoughts flying out _completely_ unfiltered, "UGH! You are such a hypocritically pious son of a bitch! _Yeah,_ I did that crap to you, but don't forget _you_ were close to leaving me wedged in fucking hole to rot after you were _also_ trying to vote me out by manipulating Sierra with that _bullshit_ picture!"

"HEY! I already apologized for that! And you just keep bringing all that back up to the surface to avoid talking about what's _really_ going on." He cut in taking a step closer to me around the table.

"OH! Not this bull…" "HEATHER, answer me! WHY?! Why do you insist on shoving me away!" He practically snarled as I immediately felt myself snap to completion and shoved him back before pretty much exploding, "BECAUSE I DON'T FUCKING KNOW! OKAY?!"

The room went dead silent as I saw him just locked up in place where he was standing and looking at me with wide eyes.

Meanwhile I was practically breathing raggedly as I bared my teeth and scrunched my eyes shut in all time high frustration as I just kept talking out my ass practically at this point, "I just… _ugh,_ what's the point? No matter what I do, you are _always_ there to annoy and frustrate the ever living hell out of me and I just… UGH! I don't know what happens to me?! Whether you're in front of me or away from me, you always drive me _fucking_ INSANE all because I… OH! WHATEVER?!"

I gripped my hands into my hair, not even caring that my head band was getting skewed off my head, as I continued to feel like I was completely losing every ounce of my sanity that I had left.

Well, until I heard, " _Heather?_ "

I had no time to react as I felt him gently but with a purpose grab my wrists before sliding his hands up to mine and holding them between us. Eventually I got myself together enough to glance up slightly in shock only to see him staring at me.

Then I was further taken off guard and locked in even more when I heard, " _Because you what_ , Heather?"

I felt like my stomach was contracting as my heart felt like it was practically crawling up my throat as I ripped my hands away from him.

Crossing my arms, I immediately turned my back to him as I practically strained out through my teeth in annoyed and flustered frustration, "Why is this so _damn_ important to you?!"

His response was almost immediate as he said, _very_ direct, "Because _this_ is important, Heather. When talking about _us_ , it is _very_ important for you to tell me how you _really_ feel about me."

"OH! You want the truth, Alejandro?! _Fine!_ The main reason you drive me completely fucking insane is because I love you! THERE! Are you satisfied now, you insufferable egotistical jerk?!" I practically exploded again, feeling like I've completely lost it as my entire being felt like a powder keg next to a flamethrower about to explode.

Everything was practically consuming me for the next several beats of silence until my eyes sprung open when I felt his hand on the side of my face. He was standing right in front of me, his focus completely zeroed in on me as he smoothed his thumb over my cheek.

I glanced away for half a second as my stomach continued to clench before I heard, "Yes… I am, Heather. That's all I wanted to hear. But, _why_ is that so _difficult_ for you to just tell me rather than keep avoiding me? I'm able to admit it!"

" _Because_ I _hate_ this! Ugh! I hate everything about this!" I cut in, still completely losing my mind and still not believing any of this was even happening right now.

Backing away from him, I stared at him _dead straight_ in the eye as I continued, " _Look,_ in case you haven't noticed, _this_ isn't really my kind of thing. I haven't slept more than 3 hours straight every night over the past month because _this_ with _you_ has been literally taunting me. Do you have _any_ idea how much concealer I'm wearing under my eyes right now to hide the sleep deprivation _you_ have caused me over all this bullshit?! Huh?!"

Even though I knew I sounded completely insane and had no idea why I was telling him all this… I just have come to grips with the fact that I must be completely cracked.

I felt him grab my hands again gently as he stepped closer and said, "Heather, why do you keep on talking about _us_ as if it's something of annoyance or is infuriating to you? Look around us Heather, it's just you and me right now. No competition, no cameras, no prize on the line."

I looked away and scoffed before saying, "And what about this past season on the show?"

"I don't care about that _damn_ show; I care about you." He said, very direct as he kept looking me directly in the eye with a dead serious look on his face, making every muscle lock up again at what he just said.

Alejandro paused, letting out a sigh and scrunched his eyes up for a second at the floor, before looking right back at me and elaborating, "Yes, as it was _pointed out_ to me just recently, I'll admit I was a fool and didn't see this clearly until just recently. I'm just… Ugh, I'm just tired of us _fighting_ each other and pushing each other away over absolute nonsense like this. I know it's going to take a lot of _effort_ and we're still going to probably _frustrate_ and _annoy_ each other to some degree… but the way I see it we drive each other insane anyway without either of us seeing each other, especially now. But, none of that matters to me. All I know is that I want to be with you, Heather. I want there to finally be an _us._ "

All I kept doing was stare at him wide eyed as he kept looking me right in the eye, his expression _actually_ seeming 'genuine'.

No cocky attitude, nothing condescending.

Whether I wanted to admit it or not… even I knew and had to admit he was being honest.

He _really_ did want to be with me.

But… all I could do was just stand there and try to figure out what the hell was even happening?

Is this happening? Is Alejandro really asking me to _actually_ be with him? Or maybe I'm just literally losing it so bad that I'm having delusions of grandeur now and he's just screwing with me?

_Ugh, what the hell even is my life anymore?!_

But, as much as I wanted to keep trying to deny it…

_Ugh… shit._

I had no idea what else to say to _that_ from him?

That and I've never done or been in a situation like this _ever_ and felt like slamming my head through a wall out of frustration.

It was still painfully silent until I finally just decided to do _something_ I _actually_ knew.

I didn't give myself any time to hesitate as I pulled my hands out of his and grabbed him by the collar of his shirt before pulling him in and kissing him without a second thought.

As much as I was trying to keep myself under control… dammit, it was _so_ hard for me to resist _wanting_ more.

Ever since that night at the lake house, I've wanted to have him again _so bad_ that it makes me disgusted with myself to completion.

My eyes snapped open as I felt him relax and lean more into me as he put his right hand on the side of my face, making me pull back before either of us had the chance to take it further… as hard as it was to resist it.

But, I had a plan to stick to right now.

I was trying to collect myself, still not completely comprehending what was happening as I felt his right thumb from his hand that was still resting on the side of my face as I looked up and saw him grinning at me as he said, sounding almost _victorious_ and completely knowing, "I knew you loved me..."

He looked like he was about to try and kiss me again until I furrowed my eyebrows and finally felt like I got a grip and pushed him away at arms length.

His whole demeanor became confused and flustered, making me want to smirk but I somehow held back.

Instead, I gave him the most determined look I could summon as I started, "Oh, no, no, no… aren't you forgetting something here? _You_ still tricked me with all that date bullshit you pulled on me. And _I_ am not about to just forget that without doing _something_ about it. So, I've got a little _proposition_ of my own for you, _Alejandro_. You want to date me? _Fine._ Then you are going to take me out on some dates, but this time… 'we' are doing things _my way_ and 'you' are going to do what _I_ want _._ Unless… you aren't up for the challenge?"

I smirked as I looked back at him only to have my expression drop for a second as he grabbed my hand and I saw a smirk slowly creep up on his face as he started, his tone almost laced with slightly devious and teasing flirtation, "Challenge accepted… _mi amor_."

As much as I tried to fight back a blush, it came through full force when he kissed the back of my hand and giving me a slight wink before giving that usual smug grin he usually has on his face.

_Ugh, crap. I really hope I don't regret doing this…_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wooo! It's so good to be back! This was actually a very tedious and most difficult chapters to write. Mainly because I wanted to make sure I kept Alejandro and Heather to their true cores in a situation involving them talking about their feelings, particularly being honest with their feelings for each other. But, let's face it and from my perspective, Heather and Alejandro confessing their mutual feelings wasn't going to be all sweetness and sunshine… it was going to be more of a stepping on a lego while getting struck by lightning kind of situation. Lol. For real though, no matter how I looked at it, the situation of them discussing their issues and feelings was going to get heated and become almost a screaming match of them being the totally frustrating hypocrites we all know and love them as. Heather especially is not the type to maturely and/or calmly discuss anything, especially not her feelings. And DEFINITELY not with telling Alejandro she loves him… especially since it seemed like it was practically mental torture for her. But, what else would we expect from Heather? Haha. XD So, I hope I did this whole interaction justice between them, but I'll leave you all to be the judge of that. Anyway, Now for the BIG ANNOUNCEMENT! So, kind of a good news-bad news scenario for you guys. So, this is the final chapter for "Propositions and Conniptions". However! Since I am still so hooked on writing Aleheather content and also want to explore more into how they would be in a serious relationship together that I am working on writing a sequel as we speak. ;) Stay tuned and be on the look out for Trials and Tribulations coming soon! Seriously just thanks again from the bottom of my heart to all of you who have supported and given so much love to this fanfic over the past couple months since I started. I can only hope that I can continue to live up to your expectations for possibly one of my favorite ships of all time. The sequel will be posted under an M-Rating again so, if you are interested… be on the lookout! Again, just thank you all so much for everything, thanks for reading, and constructive feedback is always VERY much appreciated! :)
> 
> Stay classy, safe, and well as always!
> 
> Dexter1995

**Author's Note:**

> So… this was just the introduction to the plot and I hope I did all the characters in this chapter justice. I am a stickler with trying to stick to portraying the characters as true to canon as I possibly can. But, again, that's up to you guys to let me know how I did in that regard. Anyway, I could just totally see Alejandro weaseling his way into Heather's parents' favor with his usual charms and also completely enraging Heather as a result so I hope you all enjoyed my portrayal of that as well as the usual sharp yet teasing banter that exists between Alejandro and Heather… but c'mon that's what makes the ship and chemistry between them so fun!... At least to me. Haha. XD Next chapter will be the date that Alejandro managed to persuade Heather into. Also, this story is most likely going to start at a T-rating and then get bumped up to an M-rating in the next few chapters. But, what did you all think? Constructive feedback is always appreciated and thank you for taking the time to read. Hope you all are staying safe and healthy out there.
> 
> Stay Classy!
> 
> Dexter1995
> 
> P.S. Also, since Heather's last name was never mentioned, I decided to take the liberty to make her last name 'Wilson' to pay tribute to Heather's voice actress (Rachel Wilson). So if you caught that... kudos! :D


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